


No Cost Too Great/There Are Costs Too Great

by sapphirepastries



Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:06:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 44
Words: 42,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27858022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphirepastries/pseuds/sapphirepastries
Summary: The Pale King wakes up near the Abyss with no memory of how he got there.Little does he know that his day is going to get worse.It is definitely not how he expected his day to go.
Comments: 589
Kudos: 500





	1. Chapter 1

The Pale King groaned, feeling a headache tormenting him as he slowly opened his eyes. He took in his surroundings, finding himself at the entrance to the Abyss. He shakily got up, feeling like his limbs were made of lead, his headache not helping him one bit.

“What...how did I…? Why am I here…?”

He was sure that he was in his workshop the last time he checked. There was a damaged Wingmould that needed to be repaired thanks to one of his rambunctious children. They had played a bit too roughly with it, and damaged its shell. They shouldn’t have been playing with it in the first place, and he had to discipline them on that. The Pale King shook his head, trying to orient himself and get back on track.

“I am certain I was in my workshop. There is no way I was anywhere near the Abyss,” he said to himself. “I certainly had no alcohol either, so I couldn’t have walked here in a drunken haze.”

Once the pounding headache and heavy feelings had faded, he started making his way back to the White Palace. The King looked around, trying to find answers to his strange situation in the surrounding area. He was alone in the workshop, so he was sure that no one had taken him here. After the incident with Xero, he had strengthened security in the White Palace, and he had put his guard up even more than before. He had even put in a bit of secret training to keep his skills and mind sharp to prevent such an incident from occurring again. The children didn’t need to see their father in an injured state again after all. Aside from that, he himself would never come back here on his own volition, not after his children had been born. His Root wanting him to bring her here was also out of the question. She had never wanted to be near the Abyss. The King sighed, pressing a hand against his forehead. Nothing was making sense here.

“If this is not a kidnapping attempt and I did not come here of my own volition, then why am I here?” he asked himself, glaring at his surroundings.

Footsteps echoed in the silence of the Ancient Basin, followed by someone grumbling.

The Pale King froze.

“...to put the tablet at the entrance. There is no need to go back to that place anymore--”

The figure stopped in their tracks, freezing as they saw him.

This is something he definitely did not expect to happen when he woke up today.

The Pale King was staring at himself, who in turn, was also staring back at him in shock.


	2. Chapter 2

The Pale King opened his eyes groggily, tiredly looking around as he tried to register where he was. Right, he was in his workshop last night and he must have fallen asleep in the late hours. He groaned as he straightened up, his back aching as a result of falling asleep hunched over his desk.

“Nothing I cannot handle,” he mumbled to himself. He looked down at his desk and remembered what he had been doing last night. There was a tablet that had been completed, the words from it glowing faintly in the workshop.

_Higher beings, these words are for you alone._

_Our pure Vessel has ascended._

_Beyone lies only the refuse and regret of its creation._

_We shall enter that place no longer._

He picked it up and made his way to the Abyss. It had been some time since the Pure Vessel had ascended, and the Pale King had tested it time and time again to make sure that it was as pure as he had hoped it would be.

No mind to think.

No will to break.

No voice to cry suffering.

Born of God and Void.

The Hollow Knight.

After many failed attempts, at last he had succeeded. He had created the perfect hollow being to contain the Radiance and end the Infection plaguing his kingdom for good. After all…

No cost too great.

“With the Pure Vessel having proven to be truly hollow, it is time to put the tablet at the entrance. There is no need to go to that place anymore--”

Footsteps echoed in the silence of the Ancient Basin, followed by someone grumbling.

“...did not come here of my own volition, then why am I here?”

The Pale King froze.

The figure stopped in its tracks, freezing as they saw him.

This is something he definitely did not expect to happen when he woke up today.

The Pale King was staring at himself, who in turn, was also staring back at him in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

Two figures stood in the Ancient Basin, both having an expression of shock and disbelief on their faces. They stood there, unmoving before one of them broke the tense silence that came upon them.

The King set aside the tablet he was holding and flared his wings out in a show of intimidation, brandishing his nail to make the threat more pronounced.

“Who are you?! You dare to use my likeness as a way to deceive my people?! That is a crime punishable by death!” he shouted, clearly not happy to have an imposter.

The Father glared back, brandishing his own nail and flaring out his own wings. “Excuse me?! I should be saying that to you, imposter! You think you can deceive others by impersonating me?! Reveal your true form!”

The two kings circled each other slowly, watching, waiting for the imposter to slip.

There was an opening, but neither of them knew who was the first to slip and they both lunged forward at the same time, the clang of two Pure Nails echoing in the Ancient Basin.

“Stop this foolishness at once,” the Father growled, pushing the other back. “ _I_ am the King of Hallownest, and I will not let an imposter sit on the throne!”

The King huffed, pushing back. “Cease your jokes, imposter. I am the one who will not be letting an imposter sit on my throne!”

The battle continued, the sound of weapons clashing and wings fluttering filling the air. With a battle going on in a place close to the White Palace, it was a wonder no one had discovered the commotion. Neither side would let up, when one seemed to get the upper hand the other would quickly cut off any momentum. It was clear the two were stuck in a stalemate.

A stalemate that would soon be broken by someone other than them.

\--

The Pure Vessel was walking through the halls of the palace, looking for its sire. The Great Nailsage, Sly, had sent him to go look for the king in order to discuss the training regimen. Apparently the fly had gotten three new disciples and had wanted to talk to the king about training them alongside the Vessel. But as it wandered through the palace, the king could not be found anywhere. The Vessel was unsure how to proceed. It was not allowed outside of the palace grounds, and no one else knew where the king had gone.

Perhaps...it could go outside to find him? Surely the king would understand why it would do so if it managed to find him.

The Vessel nodded its head, and made its way out of the White Palace.

While it was not allowed outside of the palace grounds, the Vessel had seen a bit of the Ancient Basin, since it was where the palace was situated. The Vessel looked around, looking for any sign of its sire when the sounds of battle resounded through the air. It stopped walking before its training instincts kicked in, taking out its nail and following the sounds. Was the king in danger? If so, it had to protect him! The Vessel continued to run until it came upon the battle, only to stop when it saw who were its participants.

There were two Pale Kings, and they were fighting each other.

The stalemate seemed to have no end in sight, and would probably had gone on forever if the pitter patter of tiny feet didn’t interrupt.

The Father and King whipped around, their eyes widening at the sight of the newcomer.

“Hallow/Vessel?!”


	4. Chapter 4

Something moved in the Abyss.

The void sea churned and swirled until a giant hand landed on the dock followed by an equally giant being. Eight white glowing eyes opened on its face, and the creature turned its head upwards.

The Lord of Shades had sensed that their plan had worked, the magic signature of the Pale King had landed right where they wanted him to be.

A curious Shade had floated up to them, their head tilting.

_Sibling do something?_

The Lord of Shades looked down at them, nodding.

_Yes, something that had to be done._

The Shade tilted their head to the other side before deciding that the answer was enough, and nuzzled against the Shade Lord’s face. The god accepted it without hesitation, carefully nuzzling back when more of their siblings decided to join the cuddling session.

While the god was happy that they had managed to get what they felt was the best result, they could not help but feel sad that it had taken so much sadness to reach such happiness. The Pale King in their time was not without heart, the memory they saw when they had finally gotten through the Path of Pain was proof of that. But ultimately the King had chosen to go through with the Hollow Knight plan. After they had ascended, the memory had come to them when they were floating in the void sea, and it had gotten them thinking.

Would there have been a time where they, Hollow, Hornet, and all of their siblings were happy with the Pale King and the White Lady?

Would there have been a way to stop the Infection and not sacrifice any of them to be a vessel to contain the Radiance?

Maybe the Godseeker had been in the Junk Pit at the time the Infection started and, if the Pale King had decided to just keep the Vessels as his children, they could have ascended through the Pantheons and stopped the Radiance before any major damage was done.

Of course they were all what ifs, so they could never truly know for sure.

Until a realization hit them.

They were the Lord of Shades, the God of Gods. They ruled over the Void. And the Void did not just mean shadows and darkness.

It also meant the Void in between time and space.

And that was when their plan was born.

The Lord of Shades gently shook off the cuddling Shades. They closed their eyes, and the giant void being grew smaller and smaller until it took the form of a tiny cloaked Vessel with a pale mask and two slim horns.

Little Ghost waved to the Shades in farewell as they made their way out of the Abyss with the promise to come visit them again. They needed to get other things done after all.

With one plan underway, it was time to continue their other plan.

They were going to need a lot of materials to repair the broken masks of their siblings after all.


	5. Chapter 5

The Pure Vessel stood there in shock and confusion. Did the Pale King just call it “Hallow”? But then the other Pale King called it “Vessel”. Judging from that, the one that called them “Vessel” must be the real Pale King and the other was an imposter. The King had never called it anything but “Vessel” after all.

The King whirled around and glared at the imposter. “What did you just call it?”

The imposter glared back. “Do not call them an ‘it’! They are Hallow, and they are my child! How dare you try and deceive my own child!”

The King froze, trying to register exactly what the imposter said before anger filled him and he slashed at the other, startling him and nearly getting a clean slash had he not dodged as quickly as he could.

“Do not call it a child! I have finally created a Pure Vessel after so many failures, and I will not let you taint it!”

“Wha--taint...”

This time it was the imposter’s turn to freeze, glancing between the Vessel and the King. That moment of faltering allowed the King to lunge forward and manage to land a hit on the imposter, forcing him to one knee.

“I do not know who you are and what you are playing at, but there is no need for me to worry about it any longer,” said the King as he pointed his nail at the imposter’s throat. “I will personally execute you myself.”

Just as he was about to pierce the other’s throat, a white nail materialized behind the King and flew towards him. The Vessel immediately ran forward and knocked the nail away, but it was enough for the imposter to jump back and put some distance between him and the King. The King, who had seen the nail just before it had been knocked away, had a look of disbelief on his face.

“What...I am the only one who can produce a nail made of soul like that...how…”

The imposter carefully lowered his nail, but didn’t drop his guard. The Vessel in turn, stood between him and the King, ready to protect its sire.

“I think I am starting to see what is going on here,” he said, once again looking between the Vessel and the King. “And I do not think I like it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> all the chapters are super short, but this one's even shorter. i hope you guys dont mind how short these chapters are x'D i had a bit of difficulty on how to write this one and how to make it longer


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: i changed a line at the end

“Do not call it a child! I have finally created a Pure Vessel after so many failures, and I will not let you taint it!”

The Father’s heart practically stopped at those words.

“Wha--taint…”

He froze, trying to register exactly what was going on before he let out a grunt as the imposter used the opening to force him to one knee. The other’s nail was at his throat, but just as he used his own opening, the Father took this chance to produce a nail of soul to catch the other off guard. And although Hallow (he refused to call his own child “Vessel”) knocked it away, he managed to put some distance between him and the imposter.

The Father looked between Hallow and the imposter--no, this was no imposter.

That was him. But not him at the same time.

This was a version of him in a different timeline.

During the fight, the strangeness of it all greatly confused him. At first he was sure the other him was an imposter trying to take his place, but as the fight went on, it started to seem strange. It wasn’t until the other had shouted at him not to taint Hallow is when the idea that maybe something wasn’t right made itself known to him.

“I think I am starting to see what is going on here,” he said, looking between Hallow and the other version of himself. “And I do not think I like it.”

The idea that another version of him actually stuck to the Hollow Knight plan made his stomach churn. Even worse, he didn’t even treat Hallow like his own child. The fact that he refused to “taint” Hallow with feelings and emotions...oh, gods, he didn’t want to think about what would happen to his child’s mentality.

And with the other’s remarks of multiple failures…

No, he did not want to dwell on what may have happened.

He didn’t think he could bear the reality.

The other him snapped out of his reverie and glared at him.

“What nonsense are you spewing, imposter?”

“I am no imposter. Just as you are not an imposter. You and I...we are the same bug, yet not the same.”

Hallow looked between them, head tilting in confusion while the other Pale King narrowed his eyes.

“What are you trying to say? Speak plainly!”

The Father let out a quiet huff. This version of him seems quite demanding.

“It would seem that you are a different version of me in another timeline. And I am a different version of you from another timeline.”

The other him (perhaps he should refer to him as the King to differentiate between them?) stopped, letting his words sink in.

“...Another timeline?”

“Yes. One where the choices we made were different,” he replied, glancing over to Hallow. “Very different.”

No cost too great.

At one point he firmly believed that.

But the second he laid eyes on the first Vessel, he knew.

There are costs too great.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: i edited a line at the end. again x'D

“I think I am starting to see what is going on here. And I do not think I like it.”

The imposter’s words snapped the King out of his reverie, and he glared at him.

“What nonsense are you spewing, imposter?”

Whatever this criminal had to say, it wouldn’t matter once he dragged him to the palace dungeons and executed him--

“I am no imposter. Just as you are not an imposter. You and I...we are the same bug, yet not the same.”

...What.

What on earth was this imposter saying? Was he crazy? To claim that he was the Pale King when the real one was standing right before him...he had to be crazy.

“What are you trying to say? Speak plainly!”

The imposter had the gall to look exasperated, and it did not help his mood and confusion one bit.

“It would seem that you are a different version of me in another timeline. And I am a different version of you from another timeline.”

 _That_ made the King’s tram of thought stop, and he had to let in the imposter’s(?) words sink in.

“...Another timeline?”

“Yes. One where the choices we made were different,” the other said, glancing over to the Vessel. “Very different.”

The King stared at him silently, and, after what seemed to be an eternity, slowly lowered his nail. If he thought about it, the whole situation _did_ seem strange. Not to mention that the soul nail the other produced was practically identical to the ones he could manifest.

And of course there was the other’s remarks about calling the Vessel his...child.

The King felt a sharp disappointment in his chest as he recalled that.

If this other Pale King truly was him from another timeline, he could not help but feel disappointment at the fact that in another time, he was too soft and let his emotions get in the way of saving Hallownest.

While it was true that he would eventually need an heir, the Vessel was but a mere tool he created for the sake of the kingdom. It wasn’t a child, nor will it ever be a child. He and his Root will bear a true child to be his heir.

There are costs too great?

If that was what this other Pale King believed, then he was a failure.

Just like the failed vessels that came before the Pure Vessel.

To save his kingdom and subjects from the Infection, there is nothing he will stop at.

No cost too great.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the watcher knights keep killing me in p4 so instead of doing p4 all over again, i wrote this instead :'D

The Pure Vessel was unsure of what to do. It came here to look for the King and now found itself in a very strange situation. The imposter, or rather, the alternate Pale King was apparently from another timeline. One where the choices he made was different from its own Pale King. One where it was...a child to him.

It tried its best to ignore the ache in its chest that appeared at the thought of being the King’s child.

Now what was to happen? The two kings continued to stare each other down, neither of them moving or saying a word until its sire finally cut the silence.

“You’re a fool then. For letting such emotions blind you from the best solution,” he said, shaking his head and sighing in disappointment. “I cannot believe that I, the Pale King, would refer to a tool as a child. You’re too soft.”

The other king clenched the handle of his nail tighter, his hand shaking slightly.

“It is you who is a fool,” he said quietly. “...I was like you once. No cost was too great in order to save Hallownest. I created the Vessels in order to create a truly perfect hollow being, but when I saw Hallow hatch from their egg, I knew I could not let them be a sacrifice to the Radiance. I could not let any of the Vessels be a sacrifice.”

He let out a shaky breath and sheathed his nail, kneeling down on one knee and opening up his arms to the Vessel. The Vessel nearly flinched at the invitation, and the King held out his arm to keep it from approaching the other king.

“Did you not feel anything when you saw this little one?” the alternate asked the King. “To see such a small thing bear a weight so heavy, did it not compel you to think about what you’ve done?”

He looked up at the King with a pained expression on his face.

“Did you not realize that there are costs too great?”

The King simply stared back at his alternate, silent for only a moment.

“No cost too great. That is what I firmly believe. Tools are created for one purpose, and one purpose only. The Pure Vessel is a tool with the single purpose of containing the Radiance and ending her reign of terror over my people. I have finally made the perfect hollow Vessel, and I will not let anyone break it.”

The King narrowed his eyes. “I suggest that you go back and create another Vessel. You’ve already tainted the Vessel you created by showing it love and affection, and thus had rid it of its emptiness.”

As the kings talked, the Vessel could feel the ache in its chest get harder and harder to ignore, especially with its sire’s words of it being a tool and being truly hollow.

_Stop._

_Do not think._

_Do not feel._

_Do not hope._

_Stop, stop, stopstopstopnonono--_

“THEY ARE NOT HOLLOW!!!”

The Pure Vessel snapped out of its thoughts (oh gods, they were having thoughts) and looked up, only to see the alternate Pale King look _furious._

What...did he just say…?


	9. Chapter 9

“I suggest that you go back and create another Vessel. You’ve already tainted the Vessel you created by showing it love and affection, and thus had rid it of its emptiness.”

The Father could not believe the words coming out of his alternate’s mouth. Was this truly who he would have become if he had stuck to the Hollow Knight plan? Someone who could not see that what he created was only a child? Someone who had...abandoned his other children behind, labeling them as failures? It was frightening to think that this was who he could have been.

When you ruled over an entire kingdom, there would always have to be some sacrifices you have to make, that is just how it was. But when you can, you try to avoid sacrifices as much as possible and find another way to solve the problem. The King, however, stubbornly clung to paying any price if it meant saving his kingdom. A means to an end.

But sometimes the means can never justify the end.

Not when the means involve his children.

“THEY ARE NOT HOLLOW!!!”

The pure anger that he felt at his alternate’s choices was unlike what he had ever felt before, and he had felt pure anger before.

The incident with Soul Master came to mind. The wretched bug had been killing innocent bugs to get at the Soul they possessed to try and make himself immortal. The entire Soul Sanctum had followed in his footsteps, none of them were free from the crime. The Father personally saw to Soul Master’s execution and the rearrangement of the Soul Sanctum.

But the anger he felt now was different from then.

That was the anger of a king.

This was the anger of a father.

The Father moved before the King could blink, grabbing him by the collar and narrowing his eyes. The King flinched at the anger rolling off his alternate.

“They are not hollow,” he hissed. “None of them are hollow and they will never be hollow. No matter how many are born, none of them will be a true Pure Vessel. Those ‘failures’ you mentioned? They are living, breathing children born with emotions. The one you call a Pure Vessel? The one I call Hallow? They are a living, breathing child born with emotions. How do you not see the way they are shaking right now?”

He tightened his grip on the King’s collar.

“I do not know how I got to this timeline, but I am starting to see the reason why I was brought here. I am the Pale King, and I will not stand idly by as I see myself do something I know I will regret.”

He let go of the King’s collar and was satisfied to see the stunned expression on the other’s face. Now that he knew what he had to do, there was much he needed to get done. Though he wasn’t looking forward to it, the Abyss would need to be thoroughly checked. He turned to Hallow, who had been frozen to their spot, shaking.

“My child,” he said softly. “You are not truly hollow, are you?”

Hallow only stared back, but the way they started to shake even more was all the Father needed. He knelt down and took the child into his arms, hugging them, reassuring them.

“Hallow, you do not need to carry that burden anymore. You do not need to suppress your emotions in order to seem like the perfect Pure Vessel. You do not need to refer to yourself as an object, as a tool.”

The Father pulled away slightly and put a hand on Hallow’s cheek, wiping away a black tear that had fallen from their eye.

“You do not need to be the Hollow Knight.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhHHHH this chapter refused to come out and i had to shake my head to get the last of my braincells to give me the strength to try and write it x'D i kinda knew what i wanted but my brain was apparently on break. anyways, i hope you guys enjoy it

The King stood still, frozen to his spot. The depth of his alternate’s anger and his words had shaken him to his core.

The Vessels are not hollow? None of them will ever be hollow? The Pure Vessel, who he had tested time and time again, was not hollow? It was just...pretending? For what purpose?

No.

No, that cannot be true.

It couldn’t have been an act, not after he had put it through the wringer. Not after so many failures. It _had_ to be a Pure Vessel. The longer it took to find a solution, the more the Infection would spread. The Radiance had no reason to wait for him to find a solution after all. He had a kingdom to protect, subjects that needed his help. He could not afford anymore failure, he could not afford to lose any more time.

He could not afford to have the Pure Vessel (“Them. Your child,” his mind whispered. He ignored it. It was just his alternate’s words speaking.) break now.

Unfortunately for him, the Vessel could never be broken, for it was never pure in the first place.

_“They are not hollow. None of them are hollow and they will never be hollow. No matter how many are born, none of them will be a true Pure Vessel.”_

The King clenched the handle of his nail before swinging it to the side in frustration.

“Look what you’ve done,” he growled. “The Vessel is tainted now! I am going to have to make another one, and that will make me lose even more precious time! That blazing light will continue to spread and bring harm to everyone!”

The Father picked up the Vessel, holding it tight before turning around and glaring at the King. The King flinched as the eyes of his alternate quickly went from soft and gentle to angry and furious.

“Were you not listening?” he growled back. “The danger of ‘tainting’ them was never there. They were born with emotions, and you cannot take that away from them. Now put that nail away or I swear to the gods I am going to make you. We have business to attend to at the Abyss. I am going to have you face the results of your actions and search for any remaining children.”

“Wha--hey!!!”

The Father grabbed the nail and sheathed it before grabbing the back of the King’s robes and dragging him along. All while carrying the Pure Vessel, his grip not loosening on it for a second.

“Let go of me this instant!” the King demanded, struggling against the Father’s grip. “I am the Pale King, not a child!”

The Father ignored his protests, continuing to drag him along.

“You seem to be acting like one though. You’re going to be a father, so I suggest you drop the childish behavior. Better yet, I am going to teach you how to be a father before figuring out how to get back to my own timeline.”

The Pure Vessel looked over the Father’s shoulder, a little worried about how the King was being dragged.

“Hm? Don’t worry about him, my child. I am just making sure he does not go anywhere.”

“Again, I am not a child!”

The King continued to protest as the Father dragged him to the Abyss.

This was definitely the worst day of his life, the King decided.


	11. Chapter 11

The sealed entrance of the Abyss greeted the small group, the mark of the King’s Brand glowing faintly. The Father could feel Hallow squirm nervously in his grip as he deposited the King in front of the door.

“Everything will be alright, Hallow,” he reassured them.

The King huffed and dusted himself off, glad to be free from the Father’s grasp.

“There is no need to come back to this place,” he grumbled. The only reason why he would need to be back at the Abyss was to place the tablet he wrote, which, he suddenly realized, he had left behind.

The Father gave a sharp glare to the King. “We have every reason to be back here, and you know that.”

The King looked away, not replying.

The Father sighed and gently set Hallow down, patting their head. Hallow tilted their head at the affectionate gesture, causing him to let out a quiet chuckle. There would be plenty of time for them to get used to being treated as a child and not as an object. For now, they had to deal with the Abyss and what laid within its depths. Since the King clearly didn’t want to undo the seal on the door, the Father stepped forth, holding out a hand. The seal glowed brightly for a second before the door split in half and dissipated into many tiny white light particles.

It seemed that no matter what timeline it was, his magic would still work on anything the King created.

He turned to Hallow, kneeling down in front of them and putting his hands on their shoulders.

“You do not need to come with us if you do not want to, my child,” he said softly. “You can just stay up here while the King and I descend into the Abyss.”

Hallow shook their head so fast the Father worried that they would get dizzy.

_Want to go,_ they tried to convey. Since they weren’t taught sign language and were unable to use telepathy, it was difficult for them to communicate. So instead, they pulled the Father’s robes and pointed to the entrance.

“Are you sure?” he asked, understanding what they wanted.

Hallow nodded in response. They had to go.

The image of another Vessel clinging to the edge of the platform went through their mind. They were struggling to pull themselves up, and Hallow had just watched, doing nothing to help. They had turned away and followed the King out of the Abyss, the door sealing shut with a great rumble. The floor shook and they knew that their sibling had fallen into the darkness of the Abyss. Just like all the others before them.

The guilt was hard to ignore in the first few days since their ascension.

“Very well then.” The Father picked them up again. “I will carry you down.”

He then turned to the King, who had been staring at the entrance.

“...I have to say, I am surprised you haven’t tried to sneak away,” he said, a little surprised. He had to admit that he was expecting the other to try and sneak away while he was talking to Hallow.

The King glanced at him before looking away with a huff.

“...Let’s just get this over with,” he said, walking through the entrance.

The Father tilted his head slightly, humming in thought before following him.

The darkness of the Abyss was deep even at the top, and the light of the Ancient Basin and their own pale light barely penetrated it.

Both kings let out their wings, their light shining a little brighter with their appearance, and began to slowly descend into the Abyss.

The Father wasn’t sure he was ready to see what laid at the bottom.

The King was sure he wasn’t ready to face the consequences of his actions.


	12. Chapter 12

There was a small, broken face staring back at the two Pale Kings and Hallow as they landed at the bottom of the Abyss.

There were countless small, broken faces staring back at them.

The Father could feel his heart still at the sight.

The King stared back at the faces, unmoving.

Hallow bent down and picked up one of the broken faces, hugging it tight as guilt threatened to overtake them.

“T-This...this is horrible…” the Father whispered, putting his hands over his mouth. He felt sick, the urge to throw up bubbled in his stomach, but he suppressed it. “What have you done…?”

“....I did what I had to,” the King replied just as quietly after a moment. During the short journey to the Abyss, the King had heavily ignored the growing pit in his stomach. There was no reason for him to feel bad at what he’s done. The Vessels were just tools, not actual children. If anything, it was a sacrifice he made in order to protect his kingdom and subjects.

But now that he was faced with all these small, empty masks, the pit in his stomach had grown too large to ignore.

The guilt started to well up, his chest tightening at it.

_“Stop it. Why should I feel guilty? It was necessary to discard the failures! They were not what I needed! They are not children!”_

_“They are children,”_ his mind whispered. _“Children that you have labeled regret and refuse. Children that you left to die in the darkness of the Abyss.”_

“.....”

The King clenched his fists and looked away, but no matter where he looked a tiny face stared back at him.

The Father could feel tears roll down his face as he knelt down and hugged a broken mask to his chest.

“My child...my children...I am so sorry…”

While he himself had not made this many Vessels, he still considered each and every broken mask his child. Would he have made this many had he chosen to continue on like the King? Left them to be sealed away in the darkness forever? He didn’t think he could live with himself if he did. The King seemed like he could, but now being faced with the consequences of his actions, it looked like he was having second thoughts now.

Hallow gently set down the mask they were hugging, patting it before looking around. Was their sibling gone too? The one they had let fall when they were so close to freedom. Tears pricked the corner of their eyes. If their sibling was still alive, they were sure to be greeted with hatred. Hesitantly, they let out a small chirp that sounded loud in the silence of the Abyss. While they had no voice, they could still make sounds as well as communicate in a void language only the Vessels knew. Of course, they kept those facts to themselves. They weren’t supposed to make any sort of noise after all.

_No voice to cry suffering._

The two kings winced as the same thought ran through their heads as Hallow continued to chirp.

No one replied back.

Hallow felt their shoulders slump before a chirp answered back. They jumped, swiftly looking around for the source of the sound with the kings following suit. Did one of the Vessels survive after all?

A pile of broken masks moved before a living Vessel with four upturned horns popped out and rolled down the pile. They came to a stop at the bottom and looked up at the group, tilting their head in wonder before seeing their sibling. They happily stood up and tottered over, clinging onto their sibling’s cloak, chirping happily. Hallow stilled at the contact before giving their sibling a hesitant hug.

 _“Sibling! Sibling, sibling, sibling!,”_ the little one chirped in the void language, unheard by the kings. _“Sibling came back!”_

 _“...Sibling...happy to see me...?”_ Hallow asked hesitantly. _“Sibling...not mad…?”_

The little one tilted their head. _“Why mad? Happy, happy sibling is here!”_

They turned around, chirping into the darkness as if calling for someone. Two chirps responded back, their owners appearing from among the many broken masks. A tall one with three horns of varying sizes and…

Hallow froze.

A small one with two slim horns, similar to their own.

They were the sibling they had abandoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was going to add in the vessels from the nosk den, but when i saw how many there were i thought it would be too much for me x'D


	13. Chapter 13

Hallow stared at their sibling. Their twin.

Both were born from the same egg, Hallow having left first while their twin was still struggling to be free from their chamber.

Hallow had reached the top first, their twin having barely caught the edge of the platform, struggling to pull themselves up.

Hallow looked back and saw them.

Hallow turned away and left them to fall.

The guilt was overwhelming, and they started to shake as tears fell from their eyes.

How could they ever make up for what they did? There couldn’t possibly be a way. They had no doubt that their twin held nothing but hatred for them.

_“Sibling…”_

Their twin, who had been holding the taller Vessel’s hand, tottered over to them and hugged them as they nuzzled their face into Hallow’s chest. Hallow jumped slightly at the affection their twin had so easily shown them.

_“S-Sibling...w-what…”_

Their twin chirped quietly, hugging them tighter as they tried to convey their feelings through the void.

_“Sibling came back. Sibling here now. Could feel a little, even when apart. Sibling felt sad, so sad. It’s okay now. You came back for me. For us. Thank you.”_

More tears fell from Hallow’s eyes as they hugged their twin tightly, burying their face between their horns. How could they be forgiven so easily? It didn’t make sense. But their twin continued to convey feelings of love and forgiveness and comfort through the void. The four-horned Vessel joined in the hug, wanting to comfort their crying sibling while the tallest one walked over and put a hand on top of their head.

_“Thank you for coming back,”_ they said. _“Thank you.”_

Hallow continued to cry silently, the wave of love coming from their siblings washing away the guilt and sadness. They truly did love their siblings.

The kings watched the exchange silently, the Father wiping away his tears while the King looked on. They could not hear the void language, but the Vessels’ body language conveyed every feeling.

“So a few survived…” the King said quietly.

“Thank goodness…” the Father said, feeling relief fill his body. “They must have been so scared and lonely…”

Now that they had each other, the Father hoped that his children could have the childhood they deserved. There would be a lot of things he and the King would have to teach them, though he was sure that he would be doing most of the teaching. The King certainly seemed to have no skill in this department.

“We have a lot of work to do,” he said, turning to the King. “You especially.”

The King stared at him before glancing away. “....I am...unfit for this.”

“Obviously,” the Father said bluntly. “But I will teach you. If you are me, then I am sure that you can be kind and caring. You care for Hallownest and its citizens after all, just like me.”

The King squirmed, trying to find the words to counter the Father’s words, but ultimately finding none. He wasn’t prepared for this. He was ignoring the pit in his stomach for a reason. There is no way he can do this. He was a king, not a father! Especially not a father to tools!

_“Children,”_ his mind corrected. _“Not tools. Children.”_

“....This is ridiculous,” he whispered. “How am I going to stop the Infection if I treat the Vessels as children? The Pure Vessel was supposed to seal that blinding light away.”

The Father sighed, but he understood what the King was getting at. When the Vessels were born, he knew that he couldn’t sacrifice them. Since he would no longer have a Pure Vessel to contain the Radiance, that meant the Hollow Knight plan was no longer viable.

But it didn’t stop him.

“The answer is simple.”

The King looked at him questioningly and the Father turned to him, resolution in his eyes.

“We find another way. And if there is none, we make it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few clarifications: in the King's timeline, ghost isnt the shade lord. there's three timelines going on here, one where the embrace the void ending was reached, one where the Father is from, and the King's timeline. hope that cleared things up for you guys xD


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey, just clarifying again just to make sure :D i'll use game terms to make it easier to understand. think of the three timelines as three different save files. etv ending is file 1, dad pk is file 2, and king pk is file 3. file 1 has already been completed, but files 2 and 3 are not. so shade lord sent dad pk from file 2 to king pk in file 3 to help king pk reach a better ending. dad pk was already on his way to a good ending so no need to worry about him xD
> 
> also this chapter's about as short as chp. 5 i think, but i hope you enjoy it all the same xD

It was time for the surviving Vessels to leave the Abyss. The Father looked at his children, a hand on his chin as he wondered how they would get them out.

“I’m sure carrying the four of them at once would not be too much of a problem,” he said. “I can take the little ones and the tall one. Your father will carry you, Hallow.”

The King twitched at being referred to as Hallow’s father, but didn’t complain as he picked up Hallow. Hallow wiped their tears away and laid their head on their father’s shoulder. The tallest of the Vessels waved their hands, trying to say that they didn’t need to be carried. They can jump up on their own, and they started jumping in place to show what they mean. The Father took a moment to decipher what they were trying to say before shaking his head and picking up Hallow’s twin and the four-horned Vessel. Hallow’s twin wiggled a bit before clambering onto the Father’s shoulders, holding onto his horns to keep themself steady.

“There is no need for you to get up to the top by yourself. I can carry three of you at once, it is not a bother. Now come, my child,” the Father said, holding out an arm to them. They hesitated for a second before allowing themselves to be carried.

The two kings stretched out their wings and started their ascension. It was strange to Hallow and their twin. They had to ascend all on their own, braving the darkness of the Abyss and avoiding the spikes that littered the way. It was a harrowing trial, but now they’re going up so easily with the help of the Father and the King. Soon, the light from the entrance was in view and they landed on the platform, carefully placing the children down. Hallow’s twin looked back at the edge, Hallow had done the same.

This was the very ledge where Hallow had left their twin to fall. The guilt started to creep in again when their twin took their hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

_“It’s okay now. We’re together again.”_

Hallow looked at them silently before squeezing their hand in return. That’s right. They were together now and that’s all that mattered. Their twin started following the two Pale Kings and their siblings out of the Abyss, pulling Hallow along with them.

“We’re going to have to figure out names for the little ones,” the Father said, looking over the children.

“Can’t we just call all of them 'Vessel' and be done with it?” the King asked, not looking forward to finding names.

The Father gave him a deadpan glare and the King had the good sense to look sheepish.

“Um...I am sorry...I am...unused to things like this…”

“As I have seen,” said the Father. “It is alright. You just have a harder time showing and expressing kindness than most bugs. Though the Infection must be dealt with, we still have the time to teach you how to be a good father.”

A father.

The notion was still foreign to the King. He was a father with four children and had been treating one of them as an object. If he had been by himself, he was sure he wouldn’t be a good father to the children. Why, if he was by himself, he wouldn’t have even gone back to the Abyss in the first place. It was only due to his alternate’s appearance that he even had the chance of being a father thrust upon him. He supposed he should be thankful that he had himself to help him, strange as it was.

….His alternate’s appearance?

It was then that the King remembered something.

“Wait...there are two of us.”

The Father raised an eyebrow. “Yes, there is.”

“How are we going to explain this to the retainers and servants in the White Palace? How are we going to explain this to Root? The Dreamers?”

“....Ah.”


	15. Chapter 15

The two Pale Kings peeked around a corner, trying to keep their fidgeting children still. Nervous beads of sweat rolled down their face as they scanned the area for nearby retainers and servants. Fortunately for them, no one was around.

“This is ridiculous,” the King whispered harshly. “We are the Pale King, we should not be skulking about in the shadows like this.”

Said shadows were currently illuminated by their light, defeating the purpose of trying to be stealthy.

“Quiet!” the Father whispered back. “If we do not want chaos to break out, we have to get into the White Palace without being seen--m-my child, please stay still!”

Hallow’s twin was climbing on the Father’s robes, wanting to ride on his shoulders. Hallow pulled them down, putting a hand in front of their mask in a shushing gesture while the three-horned Vessel stopped the four-horned one from climbing onto the King.

_“Play later,”_ Hallow said to them in the void tongue.

_“Have to be quiet,”_ said the three-horned Vessel.

Their siblings wilted a little before nodding. _“Okay.”_

The Father and the King sighed in relief, thankful that the older siblings could keep their playful siblings under control. The Father picked up the four-horned Vessel while prompting the King to pick up Hallow’s twin.

“It will be faster to carry the smaller ones than to have them follow behind us,” he reasoned.

“But the question remains, how do we get in without being seen?” the King asked.

The Father peeked around the corner once more, looking over the area before replying.

“In my timeline there is an area near the courtyard walls that had a hole broken through thanks to Dryya. Has she broken a hole in the wall here as well?” he asked, turning to the King.

The King hummed, thinking for a moment. “...I presume you are referring to when she went a little too far with her training and ended up accidently flinging her nail and breaking the wall.”

“Yes! That is the one! I cannot believe that happened in this timeline too,” the Father said, trying to keep himself from laughing. The event would sometimes get brought up when Dryya and the other knights were around. It was great teasing material for the knights, especially since the king and queen were watching. The King also looked like he was trying to hold in his laughter before realizing it and clearing his throat, blushing faintly.

“I-In any case, I assume we will be using that as our way in?” he asked.

“Indeed we are,” replied the Father. “Let us go while the area is clear.”

The two took one more quick look around before hurrying to the walls lining the courtyard, looking for the hole Dryya punched in. It was incredibly difficult for them to be stealthy thanks to the light they naturally let out, but miraculously, no one had spotted them. Hallow perked up and pulled at the King’s robes, pointing to a hole just ahead of them.

“Ah, there it is. You have done well, Ves--er, Hallow,” the King stuttered, nearly calling them ‘Vessel’ again. It was a habit that he would have to get rid of, the Father mused. But the most important thing was that he was trying. It was as good a start as any. They peeked through the hole, using the vines covering it up to conceal their presence.

“From here we should make our way to my workshop, though technically it is yours as well,” the King said. “It is probably the best place to hide out and plan what we are going to tell Root and the Dreamers. It also won’t look suspicious for either of us to be entering and leaving it.”

“Yes,” the Father agreed. “It is also the best place for us to keep the children hidden for the time being, with the exception of Hallow since the others already know about them.”

They quickly made their way through the courtyard, using as many plants and hedges as they could to hide behind whenever someone seemed to be close. From where they were, the courtyard was the closest route they could take to getting to the workshop, and with plenty of places to take cover in they were sure to get there unnoticed.

And with that thought their luck ran out.

A gasp made them stop in their tracks.

“Intwudah!”


	16. Chapter 16

The tall Vessel had no time to react when something, or rather some _one_ , grabbed onto their face tightly, refusing to let go. They stumbled, nearly falling over before catching themself and pulling at the bug clinging to their face. Hallow put their hands on their head, obviously panicking as they tried to help their sibling, pulling on the red cloak of the small bug and trying to shush her.

“Who are you?! You’re not Pure! You have tree horns instead of two! Intwudah!” the little bug cried.

The kings started to panic, frantically looking around to see if anyone heard the commotion. They had forgotten about the little bug and the King realized he had not just four, but five children.

Hornet.

She came to be out of an agreement with Herrah in exchange for her becoming a Dreamer. Now that she was here, the King remembered something that had slipped his mind. The Dreamers were coming today for a meeting on the Hollow Knight plan.

“What is Hornet doing here?!” the Father quietly hissed, helping Hallow pull her off the tall Vessel.

“I forgot that there was supposed to be a meeting with the Dreamers today!” the King hissed back.

“What?! How could you forget about such an important thing?!”

“Well, I was not expecting another version of myself to drop in out of nowhere when I woke up today!”

“Urgh...fair point…”

Once the Father pulled Hornet off the Vessel’s face, she flailed, looking up at whoever was trying to stop her from stopping the supposed intruder.

“Put me down! Who are you--” She cut herself off, gasping in that dramatic manner that children often pull off when she saw the two kings. “T-Two daddies?!” She gasped again, putting her hands on her face. “No, one of dem is fake! Anodah intwudah!”

Hornet kicked at the Father’s face, making him grunt and hold her away from him.

“Enough of that, Hornet! We cannot have others see us like this! Please be quiet!” he said sternly. “Daddy will explain everything late--GAH!”

Hornet bit his hand, causing him to drop her. She glared up at them while pulling at Hallow’s cloak.

“C’mon, Pure! We have to shtop dese intwudahs!”

Hallow picked her up and held her firmly to their chest, putting their hand in front of their face in the shushing gesture. Their siblings copied them, trying to convey the importance of being quiet to her.

 _“Have to be quiet!”_ they said in the void tongue even though she couldn’t hear them.

The voice that she did hear, however, echoed down the hallway.

“Hornet? Hornet! Honestly, where have you gone this time?”

It was Herrah, and judging from her voice she was close by.

“Mom--!!”

Hallow and their siblings put their hands over her mouth to keep her from shouting and blowing their cover. The kings started to panic even more.

“We need to hide!” the Father said, looking around for a good hiding spot.

“What about Hornet?” the King asked, frantically listening for Herrah’s footsteps.

“She has to hide with us otherwise she’ll start talking about the two of us and the other children!”

Herrah’s footsteps started getting louder and, in a fit of desperation, the King dove into the nearest bush, dragging the children with him. Unfortunately for him and the Father, Herrah rounded the corner and found the Father before he could hide, leaving him to deal with her instead of the King.

 _You fool!!_ the Father shouted in his mind as if the King could hear him. _It is supposed to be you dealing with her, not me!_

The King cursed in his head, mentally facepalming at himself. In that moment of panic he made a split second stupid decison.

Herrah let out a sigh as she spotted the Father, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Pale King.”

The Father hoped she didn’t see the bead of nervous sweat rolling down his face or the discreet glare he sent to the bush.

“Herrah.”

“You’re late,” she said, crossing her arms. “Which is surprising considering you’re always punctual. You know not everyone has time to wait for you and Deepnest is quite a ways away.”

The Father cleared his throat. “Er, yes. My apologies, Herrah. I must admit that I had been sidetracked by something and promptly lost track of time. If you and the other Dreamers could please wait for a moment longer, I promise I will join you shortly.”

Herrah’s eyes only narrowed more at his reply and the Father could swear that both his back and the bush had started to break out in a cold sweat. He was unsure of the King’s relationship with Herrah, but in his own timeline he and Herrah were on friendly terms despite the rocky start and Herrah’s intimidating personality. If Herrah was less friendly in this timeline then he supposed that it may be due to the King having difficulty in expressing honesty and kindness.

Herrah stared at the king, unmoving. It was rare to hear the king apologize, especially to her. Of course that didn’t mean he never apologized, but apologies towards her were few and far between. She put a hand on her mask, tapping it in contemplation. Something didn’t seem right.

“Hmm…”

“Is something the matter?” the Father asked, hoping that she wouldn’t question him further. Herrah was very sharp and he could only hope that being the same person as the King would help him out of this.

“Did you eat something strange today? Something about you seems...off,” she said, never taking her eyes off him.

“What? Of course not. I am the same as always, Herrah. Perhaps you are the one not feeling well? You should rest if that is the case. We can have the meeting later in the day after you have rested.”

The look in Herrah’s eyes only got more intense at his answer.

Oh, dear.

He messed up didn’t he?

Herrah walked closer to him, leaning in close and making him even more nervous. He may be a higher being, but that didn’t mean Herrah was any less intimidating.

“Hmmm? You’re being considerate of me, Pale King. Normally you would have stopped at me not feeling well and say that I must have been the one who had eaten something strange,” she said. “You wouldn’t suggest that I rest and arrange the meeting for later just for me. You are courteous to me, yes, but you are also stiff.”

She leaned in closer, making her more intimidating.

“Are you sure nothing is off?”

In his mind, the Father facepalmed. He was going to have to really teach his counterpart how to be more nice and considerate of Herrah wasn’t he? He sent a discreet glare to the bush.

In the bush, the King facepalmed. He definitely wasn’t used to being nice and considerate to Herrah.

How were they going to get out of this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im unsure if the kings are a bit ooc or not here. i remember morning_glory_skyes saying something in their notes or the comments about herrah being hard to write and boy were they right. im not really sure how to characterize her, but i suppose i'll figure it out eventually xD i also wasnt sure how to go about herrah feeling something off about dad pk haha


	17. Chapter 17

Hornet squirmed and flailed in Hallow’s arms, her other siblings firmly keeping her mouth shut. The one she had jumped, the three-horned one, desperately tried to get her to stop fidgeting by trying to tell her to be quiet. Their efforts were in vain unfortunately, due to the fact that they couldn’t speak or sign. Hallow’s twin and the four-horned Vessel tried to get her to calm down by patting her horns in a reassuring way.

“Hornet, please stop struggling,” the King whispered. “I promise you that you can return to your mother later. For now, just please be quiet!”

Hornet only struggled more at that. “Mmngh!”

Outside the bush, the Father never tore his gaze away from Herrah, standing his ground.

“I assure you that there is nothing strange, Herrah,” he reassured her. “I am the same as ever. I admit that while I have been rather stiff with you, it does not mean that I am unable to be considerate of others.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Herrah asked, clearly not convinced. “Hm...though I suppose you may be right since you adore the White Lady with everything you are.”

Both the King and the Father’s hearts lightened at the mention of Root. Indeed, their love for her outshines the Radiance’s and even their own light. There was no other woman they loved as much as they loved Root. The Father cleared his throat, trying to get himself back on track.

“Of course. Root is my dear wife and I care for her very much,” he replied. “I am capable of compassion, as difficult as it is to believe.”

Herrah stared at him, clearly wanting to continue to prod him to see whether something was truly off about him. However, they did have a meeting to get to so she would have to continue investigating after. The Pale King looked the same, but acted a bit differently than usual. Something had to have happened, and she was going to find out what it was. Perhaps she could get Lurien and Monomon’s opinions on it.

“Perhaps then you’d spare that compassion for us now, since I and the other Dreamers have been waiting for you for an hour now. I also must find Hornet, though I’m sure one of your retainers may have found her by now.”

“Of course. Should I find her, I will bring her to the meeting room,” the Father said, trying not to look and sound relieved. “Well then, I will join you three shortly.”

The King slumped down in relief, unable to believe that they had gotten through this ordeal. For now at least, he was sure Herrah would continue to investigate them after the meeting was over. They’d have to get something planned out before then.

Unfortunately, their relief didn’t last long.

Hornet broke free from Hallow’s grip and jumped out of the bush before the King could stop her. 

“MOM!!”

The Father jumped, horror and dread filling him as Hornet ran over to her mother, who picked her up.

“Hornet! Have you been hiding in there this entire time? I told you many times before not to run off like that!” she scolded her.

“Mom, mom, dere’s TWO DADDIES!” Hornet screamed. “And intwudahs!! I tried to shtop dem, but dere hiding in da bush!!”

The King and the Father started to internally panic.

“H-Hornet, stop saying such things! There is only one Pale King and that is me!” the Father said, trying to salvage the situation.

“It’s true! Wook!”

Hornet wiggled out of her mother’s arms and rushed towards the bush, jumping onto the tallest Vessel’s face once more.

_“?!”_

The startled Vessel tumbled out of the bush from the momentum and tried to pry her off. Did she have some sort of vendetta against them?!

_“O-Off! P-Please get off!!”_

“Wook, wook! See?! Dis one has tree horns! Dere an intwudah! Dere’s more and anodah daddy in da bush!”

Hallow and the smaller Vessels emerged from the bush, trying to save their sibling from their more hyperactive one. The two kings’ internal panic just became even more panicked. Herrah stood still, staring at the Vessels. The Pale King had only brought back the one Vessel, the Pure Vessel. Yet there were three more here in the courtyard, wrestling with her daughter.

“What...why are there more Vessels…?”

“Mom, wook in the bush! You gotta!!” Hornet insisted. “Daddy is in dere!!”

“H-Herrah, wait--”

The Father tried to stop her, but Herrah walked over to the bush, pushing aside the leaves and finding yet another Pale King hiding within.

She stared.

The King stared back, sweating nervously.

“Erm...H-Herrah, I can explain…”

There was silence as Herrah stared at the King then at the Father then back again.

“....Why are there two of you?!”


	18. Chapter 18

The King walked out of the bush to stand next to the Father, the children trailing behind him after they finally pulled Hornet off their sibling. No point in hiding now, he figured. He and the Father glanced at each other before looking back at Herrah, who had one hand over her mouth while another was pointed at them.

“W-Why are there two Pale Kings? Is this a nightmare? Is one of you a Nosk??”

The King looked a little irritated at her statement. “Well, I apologize that I am such a nightmare to you, Herrah.”

“Oh my gods. _You_ are definitely the Pale King I know,” she said. “Which means the other must be a Nosk!”

“I am not a Nosk,” the Father said, a little offended at the accusation. “I am the Pale King, Herrah. Just as he is the Pale King.”

Herrah looked at him like he was insane. “This must be one of your crazy experiments, Wyrm. Did you make another one of yourself? As if one of you wasn’t enough!”

The King facepalmed, his hand sliding down his face.

“No, Herrah. I did not make another one of myself. Ugh, this is why we were trying to get in before being seen by anyone else!”

“Unfortunately, we did not account for Hornet,” said the Father, looking down at their children.

The Vessel Hornet had jumped was currently laying on the ground, Hornet standing on their back while her other siblings looked at them in concern. Hallow tried to ease her off of them but she firmly stood her ground, saying how she needed to subdue the intruder. The Vessel she was standing on gave out a pathetic chirp in response.

“Would you please just explain what is going on here, Wyrm?!” Herrah asked, nearly hysteric.

“Herrah, please calm down,” the Father said, holding his hands up. “We’ll explain everything at the meeting. It will be more convenient to explain it to all of the Dreamers at the same time.”

“We would have liked to prepare beforehand, but unfortunately that is impossible now,” the King sighed. “I assure you that you will get your answers.”

The Father took Hornet off the Vessel and held her in his arms. “That is enough of that, Hornet. Your sibling does not appreciate being attacked like that. Please apologize to them.”

Hornet tilted her head. “Dat’s my sibwing? Not intwudah? But Pure is my onwy sibwing!”

“Not anymore,” said the King. “They are also your siblings along with the Pur--I mean, Hallow.”

Hornet looked horrified at the fact she hurt one of her siblings. "R-Reawwy? Oh no! I'm shorry, sibwing!"

She wiggled out of the Father's hold and ran over to the Vessel, teary eyed as he cried out apologies to them. The Vessel stood up, brushing themself off and shaking their head before patting her on the head and chirping. They were fine, just startled from her sudden attacks. She was quite strong for a little grub!

Herrah could not believe what she was seeing and hearing. The Pale King referring to the Pure Vessel with a name? Impossible! Not to mention he was treating them as an actual child! Has Hallownest already fallen? She _must_ be dreaming.

“I know this is quite shocking, but we will explain everything,” the Father said, snapping her out of her reverie. “Let us go to the meeting room so that all your questions will be answered.”

She turned to him, staring for what seemed like forever before sighing and shaking her head.

“Fine. I’ll save my questions for later.”

The two kings sighed in relief, and gave her a look of gratitude. Which was rare from the Pale King, at least, the one she knew.

“Thank you, Herrah,” said the Father. “Let us be off then. Come along, children.”

They started heading towards the meeting room, followed by the children and Herrah taking up the rear. Once they reached the doors to the meeting room, Herrah stopped them from going in.

“I’m just going to get them prepared,” she said. “It’ll be easier that way.”

The King nodded. “Indeed. We’ll wait out here then.”

Herrah opened the door and went inside, catching the attention of Lurien and Monomon who were waiting for her return.

“Oh, you’ve come back!” Monomon greeted her. “Well?”

“Did you find the king?” Lurien asked. “Or Hornet?”

Herrah sighed, putting a hand on her mask. “Oh, I found them alright. Hornet and two Pale Kings along with four Vessels, the Pure Vessel included.”

The other Dreamers stared at her before Monomon put a tentacle over her mouth, giggling.

“My, Herrah, I didn’t expect such a joke to come from you! How amusing!”

“There cannot be two of His Majesty nor three more Vessels,” Lurien stated. “Are you okay?”

“Ugh, just look for yourself!”

She stood aside to let the group in, gesturing to them. The kings walked inside with the children following. The other two Dreamers froze at the sight.

“I am sorry to have made you all wait,” the King apologized. “There were some...unforeseen circumstances that caused the meeting to slip my mind.”

“I do believe ‘unforeseen circumstances’ is a bit of an understatement,” the Father said.

“M-My liege?!” Lurien cried, abruptly standing up. “W-What’s going on here?!”

“Oh my!” Monomon exclaimed. “How curious! Have you cloned yourself, my king? Or was it an experiment gone wrong? Oh, what happened? I must know!”

“Don’t we all want to know,” Herrah said dryly, looking at the two kings.

“Yes, we shall explain everything now,” the King said, gesturing for them to settle down.

Once everyone aside the from the kings was seated, the King led off the explanation.

“Once again, I am sorry to have made you all wait. I was on my way to place the tablet at the entrance to the Abyss when I ran into my counterpart here.” He gestured to the Father. “We were trying to come up with a plan to explain this beforehand until we were caught by Hornet and Herrah.”

“Wait, ‘counterpart’?” Monomon asked. “By that you mean…”

“I come from another timeline,” the Father answered. “A timeline where the decision we made was completely different.”

The Father and the King glanced at each other.

“A timeline where I never went through with the Hollow Knight plan.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wasn't really sure how to go about this chapter. it refused to come out, but here it is xD i think i might edit it here and there, but i dont know. i hope you guys enjoy it!

The Dreamers stared at the two kings once their story was complete.

A timeline where the Pale King never went through with the Hollow Knight plan. A timeline where he took in the Vessels as his children instead. It was quite strange to think that there was a timeline like that. Their own Pale King, while kind and caring in his own way, stuck firmly to his belief of “no cost too great”. Herrah and Monomon had felt pity for the Pure Vessel, considering them to be a child even though they were supposedly hollow. Lurien, too, felt pity, but believed it was a sacrifice that had to be made to protect the kingdom. He was always more inclined to the Pale King’s thinking after all. Yet in this other timeline, the Pale King had thrown aside his belief of “no cost too great”, thinking that there are indeed costs too great. He was unwilling to let his children become a sacrifice for the kingdom, and apparently he was not willing to see himself sacrifice the Pure Vessel.

“I do not know how I got to this timeline nor do I know how to get back,” the Father said. “But I believe that the reason I was brought here was to stop the Pale King from proceeding with the Hollow Knight plan.”

He glanced at the King, who glanced back before looking down at the table.

“And I knew he had to confront the consequences of his actions.”

The King clenched his fists.

The Abyss was not a pretty sight. He can still see the countless faces staring back at him no matter where he looked. Though he often came off as cold and logical, he still had a heart. Standing there among the many broken masks of countless children made all the walls he built up to keep the guilt out come crumbling down. No matter how much he believed that there was nothing he had to be guilty for, the guilt crept its way through the cracks and threatened to crush him. He supposed he should thank his counterpart for appearing when he did. He wasn’t sure whether or not he could continue to carry the weight of his decisions when the time came. Though he had done so much wrong, he now had a chance to make things right again.

“....The Hollow Knight plan is to be scrapped,” he said after a moment of silence. “We can no longer continue with it.”

The Dreamers looked surprised, Herrah much more so. Though they had heard the story, they still weren’t really expecting the King to put a stop to the plan. Not after all the work he had put into it.

“If...If that is what you wish, my king,” Lurien said, stunned. “But then what are we to do about the Infection?”

“Will you be researching another way to stop it?” asked Monomon. “I will do everything I can to support you if that is so.”

Herrah crossed her arms, looking to the Father. “...Since you abandoned the plan first, I assume you already found a way?”

The Father shook his head. “I was in the midst of researching that when I was suddenly brought to this timeline. However, I did have an idea, a temporary measure really. I am unsure of how to execute it unfortunately.”

The King gave him a questioning look. “What sort of idea is it?”

“Well, considering the Infection affects dreams, I had wondered if there was any way to protect the mind. A sort of barrier to keep the Radiance’s light from taking hold of the minds of bugs. That was what I was researching before being brought here. I was in the midst of looking through the moth tribe’s history in order to find an answer.”

Monomon hummed thoughtfully. “Perhaps it would be possible if one were to have a high mental resistance. The Mantis Tribe is one such example. They’ve been resistant to every effort the Radiance makes to infect them.”

“So it is the same here as well?” the Father asked, pleasantly surprised. “I suppose I should not be surprised. Those warriors are strong in both body and mind.”

A yawn cut off their musings and they turned to find Hornet and the Vessels cuddled up together. Hornet was laying on Hallow’s lap while the other three Vessels surrounded her like a protective wall. Hallow’s twin was chirping softly while the three-horned Vessel pat her head, their cloak spread over the four-horned one. The Father smiled softly, shocking the Dreamers who had never seen the Pale King smile so softly.

“I suppose we should put the meeting on hold,” he said, walking over to the children. They looked up as he took Hornet into his arms, patting Hallow’s head appreciatively. “The children seem to be quite tired after today. We just rescued three of them from the Abyss after all, and Hornet must have expended all her energy.”

The King stared for a second before hesitantly walking over, holding out his hands to Hallow and their twin. “Are you tired, my children?”

Hallow’s twin nodded, taking his hand while Hallow stared up at him. A moment later they took his it, squeezing it gently. It was still strange for them to be treated as a child, but then again this was a dream come true. They wanted to love and be loved, to be a part of the King’s family.

The Dreamers watched as the kings talked with the children. They could clearly see the differences between the two, with the Father being more fatherly and open with his love for the children and the King being more clumsy and hesitant to show the same love. Monomon and Lurien looked at each other before smiling softly. They supposed it would take time for their king to get used to the change. Herrah continued to watch the kings, focusing more on the king of their own timeline. The Pale King was known to be more logical, thinking with his mind instead of his heart. But there existed a heart within that pale shell, even though it was hard to see. He cared deeply for his people and the kingdom, as well as his beloved White Lady. She didn’t know how good her relationship was with the Pale King from the alternate timeline, but she could guess that it was better with how the Father acted. In this strange set of circumstances, maybe she could reforge her own relationship with the Pale King.

It was never too late to make amends after all.

The King was already proving that.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> like the previous chapter, i wasn't sure how to write this one. im unsure if this is the start of writer's block or not LOL. since this whole thing is basically unplanned i'm practically winging every chapter haha. i do think it turned out ok though and i think might get over this hurdle soon. maybe tomorrow idk xD i do hope you'll bear with me! in any case, i hope you enjoy the chapter!

The two kings were walking down the hallway, the Father carrying Hornet and holding the tall Vessel’s hand while the four-horned one was on his shoulders. The King held the twins’ hands as he walked alongside the Father, staring at the other Vessels.

“Is something the matter?” the Father asked.

“Well…” the King started. “Do the Vessel children here live in your timeline as well?”

“They do,” the Father answered. “Along with twenty-six other children, including Hallow.”

The King looked startled at the number. “You have thirty children?!”

He already had his hands full with just Hallow, and even then he only treated them as the Pure Vessel. He thought that now that he had five children his days got busier, but apparently his counterpart’s days were even busier. The King could not imagine managing more than five children at once.

“Thirty-one including Hornet,” the Father corrected, chuckling. “She does not live in the White Palace as she mostly stays with Herrah. She comes to visit every now and then of course. Trouble comes with her, however, haha.”

“I see…”

They fell into a content silence before the King broke it once more.

“The three Vessels...what are their names?”

“Ah, yes. We have yet to name them here,” the Father said, looking at the children. “The one with three horns is Kin, the one with four horns is Leaf and Hallow’s twin is Ghost.”

The King blinked. “Ghost?”

“They always seem to disappear into thin air,” the Father said, laughing lightly. “Take your eyes off them for one second and they’re gone.”

The King looked down at the newly named Ghost, who looked back up at him, tilting their head. He would have to keep a close eye on this one it seemed.

“...I...I do not know if...if I can do this,” the King confessed. “I am not fit to be a father...and with the ongoing Infection, I really cannot see a way that does not utilize the Hollow Knight plan.”

The Father stopped walking and turned to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“That is why I said we make a path,” he said resolutely. “To protect both Hallownest and my family, I will carve a path that does not end in needless sacrifice. I know I can do it and I know you can too. You and I are the same being after all. We are the Pale King.”

The Father gave him an amused smile.

“As for being a father, I know you can do it. You have me to help you.”

The King was silent before returning the Father’s smile with a small one of his own.

“Perhaps you are right.”

Maybe he _can_ do this. Maybe his thinking _was_ too narrow. This strange set of circumstances gave him things he didn’t think he would ever receive during this time of crisis: a family and growth as both a bug and a king.

They continued walking, the King’s hesitance and uncertainty no longer weighing him down. They reached the door to the King’s chambers and the Father gave him a grin.

“Remember, you are not the only parent to these children.”

He stepped aside to let the King open the door.

“These children have a mother as well.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally i was sure that the white lady wouldn't appear and if she did, only as a cameo or for one chapter only. guess i was wrong haha xD

The White Lady, or Root, was sitting on a chair, gazing out the window. It had been about an hour or so since Herrah had come to her asking where the Pale King was. He had been late to the meeting which surprised her since he was always punctual, but she supposed he might have fallen asleep in his workshop again and lost track of time. The door to her and her Wyrm’s chambers opened, cutting into her musings.

“Oh, welcome back, my Wyrm. I am surprised you were late to a meeting--”

She gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.

The Pale King was holding the hands of the Pure Vessel and another Vessel who looked just like it only with slimmer horns.

“W-Wyrm, what is…”

The King looked a little nervous as he helped the two Vessels onto the bed. The smaller of the two Vessels immediately marvelled over how soft and silky it was.

“There has been a...change of plans, my Root,” the King said, a little hesitant. “Some things happened and...well, it is better for you to see it for yourself.”

“What? What do you…”

Her eyes widened as _another_ Pale King stepped inside, two more Vessels and Hornet in tow.

“I apologize for the sudden appearance, Root,” said the Father, placing the rest of the children on the bed. “But it was important that you knew of the situation straight away.”

The White Lady put a hand over her heart, feeling a bit faint. She sat back down, hoping to gather herself together. Oh, there were two Pale Kings. Two of her dear Wyrm. What was going on? Was one of them a fake? Or were both of them fake?

“W-What is the meaning of this…?”

The King walked over to her, putting a hand over hers. “Root, please be calm. I know this is sudden, but something very strange has happened today leading to this. Do not fret, this other Pale King is not a fake nor is he an intruder.”

“I am from another timeline,” the Father explained. “One where I have taken in the Vessels as my own children instead of proceeding with the Hollow Knight plan.”

The White Lady could feel her eyes widen even more than before.

“Another timeline? The Vessels as children…?”

It was no secret to the King and the Dreamers that the White Lady had wanted to mother the Pure Vessel. She couldn’t, however, as they needed to remain pure and hollow in order to contain the Radiance. The Pale King had wanted so badly for the plan to work that she resisted the urge to care for the Pure Vessel, but it was always there. She knew that by going along with the Hollow Knight plan, she would never have the children she wanted, but that small spark of hope never went out. The White Lady took a deep breath, composing herself.

“Please tell me what happened.”

The two kings nodded and retold their story, the children falling asleep in the meantime.

The White Lady hummed, stroking the head of the now named Hallow. So her Wyrm has decided to forgo the Hollow Knight plan and find a new, better solution to the Infection. All thanks to the help of the alternate Pale King. To say she was happy was an understatement, she was elated and proud. Elated because she could finally have the children she wanted and proud because her Wyrm was finally going to learn how to express his kindness. She knew he had always had a kind heart, but his logical side often took precedence over what he felt in his heart. It was why he usually came off as cold and logical to others. Now he was going to make an effort to be more kind and empathetic. To be the father that he was. She was sad, of course, to know that so many children had died in the Abyss. It was not only Wyrm’s fault, but hers as well. She had allowed this to happen despite wanting to be a mother to her children. It is a burden she is sure she and her Wyrm will always carry for the rest of their lives. The least they can do is to give the remaining children the childhood they deserved.

“You have no idea how happy this makes me, my Wyrm,” she said softly. “Though we do not have a plan to fight the Infection, I am sure that whatever solution we arrive to will be much better than the Hollow Knight plan.”

She turned to the Father and held out a hand to him, which he took.

“I am thankful that you appeared in this timeline,” she told him. “Without your intervention, we would never have been given this opportunity.”

“I am only glad that I can help,” the Father said, squeezing her hand. “I will do all I can to find a better solution.”

The King took her other hand, feeling a bit jealous that his counterpart was holding her hand and had her attention.

“I am sorry for making you comply with the Hollow Knight plan, my Root,” he said. “I believed that there was no cost too great in order to protect Hallownest, but now I am starting to see that I was wrong.”

He looked to the Father.

“Seeing the bottom of the Abyss has shaken my belief. There really are costs too great.”

The Father smiled softly, putting a hand on the King’s shoulder.

“Just because you can sacrifice something does not mean you have to sacrifice it. There are other paths, and even if there are not we just have to make our own. I was already on my way to finding another solution to the Infection, and I know that I draw ever closer to it. With the two of us, Root and the Dreamers, I am sure that we can stop this plague for good.”

The White Lady hugged both kings, carefully nuzzling their horns.

“My Wyrm, I am so proud and happy for you. My Wyrm from another timeline, once again I thank you for appearing in this timeline.”

With a newfound family and hope, she was sure that the future would be bright.


	22. Chapter 22

Hallow groggily woke up, rubbing their eyes as they took in their surroundings. Oh, they were in their father and mother’s (their _father and mother!_ ) room. What time was it? Did a whole day pass? They turned to their siblings who were still asleep and they pat their twin’s head. It was really a dream come true to have their siblings and their father and mother. It still felt strange considering they had thought of themselves as nothing but an object, but surely they were losing that mentality. It helped that they had their siblings and parents to help them shake it off. Their twin, Ghost as they were now called, stirred and rubbed their eyes, looking up at them. They perked up and cuddled against Hallow, chirping softly.

_”Sibling, Hallow! Awake now!”_

_“Sssh, siblings still asleep. Mother and Father too,”_ Hallow replied quietly, gesturing to their sleeping siblings and parents.

Ghost put a hand over the mask, nodding.

_“Hallow.”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Hallow is no longer the Hollow Knight. Good. Very good.”_

Hallow tensed at remembering their previous position before relaxing, hugging Ghost. Though the Vessels were only just children, they had been born with the understanding of their purpose, something that the Pale King had been hoping to instill in them back when they were still in their eggs.

_“Yes, not the Hollow Knight anymore. Feels weird but feels nice too.”_

Ghost looked up at Hallow, tilting their head slightly, questioningly.

_“Then how stop bad light? Can’t contain anymore.”_

Hallow chirped quietly, thoughtful. From what they gathered during the meeting their fathers were now going to find a new solution to the Infection. They were unsure what it would be, but the two kings were very determined to find it. They wondered if they could do anything to help them. There had to be something they could do.

_“Let’s help! Wanna help stop bad light!”_ Ghost exclaimed, rousing Kin and Leaf from their sleep.

_“Help…?”_ Kin asked tiredly, yawning.

_“Help with what?”_ Leaf asked, crawling over to the twins.

_“Help fathers to stop bad light,”_ Ghost explained. _“Can’t contain anymore so need to find a new way.”_

The two ‘ooh’-ed, nodding their heads in understanding. Certainly, none of them can contain the Radiance due to their lack of emptiness and since there was no more need for a Hollow Knight, they need to find a new way.

_“Wanna help! Fathers came back for us so I wanna help!”_ Kin proclaimed, Leaf nodding eagerly.

_“But what do we do?”_ asked Hallow. _“Where to start? Don’t know about the outside of the palace.”_

The other vessels hummed, crossing their arms. Indeed, where do they start? Ghost, Leaf and Kin have never been outside of the Abyss and Hallow had never been out of the White Palace much less the Ancient Basin. A movement caught their attention and they turned to see Hornet turning over in her sleep, mumbling about intruders and siblings. Maybe they could ask her about the areas outside the palace. They had no way to communicate with her, unfortunately. They weren’t given a voice and they can’t sign yet, plus their void language was limited only to them. The vessels mulled over their situation, it was going to be hard to communicate what they want. Hallow idly looked out the window before they remembered something.

_“Oh, I know! Saw a map once in father’s workshop,”_ they said. _“Maybe we can use that? It can help us find our way.”_

While they did not know the layout of the areas outside the palace, they knew about the other places within the kingdom. Monomon had thought it imperative that the Pure Vessel should at least know about the kingdom it was to protect. The King had been hesitant but decided to show Hallow a map of the kingdom, teaching them about which place was what but never elaborating further. He didn’t want to taint the Pure Vessel with any ideas after all. Hallow’s siblings looked at them like they were a genius.

_“Ooohh, good idea!”_ Ghost said, patting Hallow on the shoulder.

_“Maybe first we should learn how to talk,”_ Kin suggested. _“Make things more easier.”_

_“Yeah, then we can tell fathers that we want to help!”_ Leaf said happily.

The four Vessels looked at each other and nodded resolutely. They were definitely going to find a way to help their fathers, even if they had to scour the entire kingdom for it.

Little did they know the worry they were going to cause the kings.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone! i hope everyone has a fun and safe christmas this year, and if you don't celebrate christmas i hope you all have a fun and safe holiday this year! while it does suck to not be able to celebrate with our families and friends physically, we can still enjoy the holidays over the internet whether its through discord or zoom or some other method xD stay safe out there, everyone and please enjoy my christmas present to you!

The King was fast asleep until he was suddenly woken up due to something jumping on him and patting his face.  
  
“OOF--W-What--?!”

_“Wake up, father!”_ Ghost said, having been the one who jumped on him.

“G-Ghost...” the King wheezed. “Please do not do that…”

_“Oh, sorry!”_

Ghost pat his face apologetically to get their apology across and the King let out a tired sigh. He turned to see that his rude awakening had roused his counterpart, who sat up and blinked the sleep away. The Father turned to the King, blinking sleepily until he realized what he was seeing and he let out a quiet laugh.

“I see that Ghost does this no matter what timeline it is,” he laughed.

“You mean they wake you up like this all the time?” the King asked, slightly dreading the answer.

“Not all the time,” the Father reassured him. “But they do it often enough that I’ve come to expect it.”

The King groaned, sitting up and setting Ghost beside him. Yet another thing he was going to have to get used to apparently. Though he supposed he had it easy with five children compared the Father’s thirty-one children. Oh, the chaos they must bring to the palace. The King suppressed a shudder. He only hoped that the chaos his own children bring would not bring the palace crashing to the ground. Hornet’s own brand of trouble already brought him enough stress. Hallow, along with the other Vessels, tugged at the King’s robes, making gestures with their hands. The King blinked, unsure of what they were trying to say.

“Oh? Could it be that you want to learn sign language?” the Father asked.

They nodded eagerly, tugging more insistently at the King’s robes. They had to learn quickly so that they could help them with the Infection as soon as possible. It’ll also make exploring the kingdom much easier for them.

“Alright, calm down,” the King said, gesturing for them to get down from the bed.

The White Lady, who had situated herself between the two kings, stirred.

“My Wyrm?” she asked sleepily.

The King put a hand on her cheek, kissing her forehead.

“Good morning, my Root,” he said softly. “We are going to be teaching the children sign language. Do you want to join us?”

At the offer, the White Lady perked up, all signs of sleep blown away at the mention of the children.

“Oh, yes!” she exclaimed. “Of course I will join you! I want to be able to talk with our children as quickly as possible. Let us proceed with the lesson!”

The Father chuckled, getting out of the bed and picking up Hornet, who was now starting to wake up. “Calm down, Root,” he said. “Let us have breakfast first before teaching them sign language. With all that had happened yesterday, I am sure that the children are hungry.”

The family headed to the dining room where they proceeded to have breakfast. During the meal, Hallow had been showing their siblings how to use the utensils and teaching them table manners. Their table manners hadn’t lasted long though, as Hornet had decided that it would be fun to throw food around, causing a food fight to occur. It was short-lived, however, thanks to the Father putting a quick stop to it, gently scolding the children and telling them that it was poor manners for the royal children to be acting like that. It seemed that he had seen more than his fair share of food fights with how used he was to scolding the children. The King decided to secretly take notes on how the Father handles the children. The White Lady was greatly entertained by her children’s antics.

After breakfast came the sign language lessons. The Father had informed the King and the White Lady that the children in his timeline picked up sign language right after one lesson, so there would most likely be no need for another if the children here also picked it up just as fast. The Vessels bounced in their seats eagerly, wanting to be able to talk as soon as possible. Hornet, on the other hand, wasn’t enthusiastic about being still and learning.

“But I don’ wanna!” she complained. “Wearning is boring.”

“Hornet, this is something that every bug should know,” the King said. “For some bugs it is their only way of communication.”

“Stiww boring!”

The King scratched his head, unsure of how to get his rowdy daughter to cooperate. The White Lady giggled and bent down next to Hornet.

“Dear, don’t you want to be able to talk to and understand your siblings?” she asked. “They can’t talk so the only way they can is through sign language. If you learn it then you’ll be able to talk about all kinds of things with them.”

Hornet stopped complaining at that, looking thoughtful and humming. Her siblings did have no voice so she couldn’t talk to them about all the cool things she wanted to talk to them about. If they learn sign language then she could finally tell them all the cool stuff! Like how Monomon was really cool! And how Monomon’s assistant, Quirrel, was a boring nerd! And how Lurien was also a boring nerd! And how her mom was the most awesome mom ever! The White Lady was an awesome mom too, but her mom was the most awesomest! And she could tell them that sometimes the King was boring, but also secretly nice!

“Hmmmmm, okay! I’ww do it!”

The Father smiled and pat her head. “That is what I like to hear. Let’s get on with the lesson then.”

Just as the King hoped, the Vessels did pick up the language right after one lesson. Hornet would need to study it a bit more, but she was a quick learner and could already speak in small sentences with her siblings.

“I’m very proud of you, children,” the King said, a rare smile on his face. “You all were excellent students.”

The children cheered at the praise and hugged him, causing him to go stiff for a second before relaxing and hugging them back. The White lady cooed at the sight while the Father looked quite proud of his counterpart. He was still a bit awkward but he was surely getting there. The King will be a father in no time at all.

While in the hug, the Vessels looked at each other, nodding resolutely. Now that they could finally communicate, they would have to execute their plan as soon as possible.

Let Operation: Help Fathers Beat The Bad Light begin!


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again, merry christmas and happy holidays to everyone! remember to stay safe! i hope you all enjoy the holidays and another gift from me!

The Vessels and Hornet were gathered in the King’s chambers, looking over a map. They had requested to see one and the King had complied, giving them a detailed map of Hallownest. Hallow had explained their plan to Hornet and the little spider had wanted to come with them, proclaiming to be their protector.

_“This is Hallownest’s capital, the City of Tears,”_ Hallow said, pointing to the city.

_“Why called the City of Tears?”_ Leaf asked. _“Is it crying?”_

“It’s cawwed da City of Tears because it wains aww da time,” Hornet explained. “Mom said dere’s a wake above it and dat’s why it wains aww da time.”

_“Oooohh, I see!”_

The City of Tears was the first destination for the children to find a way to stop the Radiance, or “the bad light” as they have been calling her. Hallow had explained to them how the Infection worked and after much thinking they had decided that going to a place with a lot of bugs would help them find a way to stop its spread. They weren’t exactly sure how it would help, but maybe they would find some sort of answer if they were in a place with a lot of bugs. Hallow pointed to another area on the map.

_“This is Fog Canyon. Monomon lives there.”_

The Teacher’s Archives laid within the heart of Fog Canyon, and it was home to many a scholar. With that many smart people in one place, it was another destination for them to find answers. Hallow knew that Monomon and Quirrel would be willing to help them out. Ghost tilted their head and pointed to an area far from Fog Canyon. It seemed to be pulling at them somehow, and they weren’t sure why.

_“This place…?”_

_“The Resting Grounds,”_ Hallow answered. _“Place where dead bugs rest. You want to go there?”_

Ghost nodded, pawing at the map. _“Have weird feeling. Maybe something is there.”_

_“Then let’s go there,”_ Kin said. “ _Anywhere else we should go?”_

“Wet’s go to Deepnest!” Hornet suggested happily.

_“Can’t,”_ Hallow said, shaking their head. _“Too much for us.”_  
  
They remember being told about Deepnest and its dangers. While Hallow was confident in their nail skills and Hornet knew her way around, they weren’t sure they could face off against the beasts that lived there. Even Herrah had warned them about the dangers of Deepnest and she was its queen. Hornet wilted and Hallow pat her head comfortingly.

_“Maybe next time?”_ they suggested. _“When everything is over?”_

Hornet perked up at that, nodding furiously. “Okay! You pwomise!”

_“Hey, hey, what’s this place?”_ Leaf asked, pointing to the area below the City of Tears.

_“The Royal Waterways,”_ Hallow said. _“Don’t need to go there. It’s the sewers. Lots of trash and poop and it smells.”_

Leaf hummed while Ghost stared at the area. Like with the Resting Grounds, something told them that something important may be there, but from what Hallow said it didn’t seem like a fun place. They didn’t want to go through a trashy, stinky place, but the feeling remained. Beside them, Kin suddenly remembered something.

_“Will fathers let us go?”_ they asked. _“We should ask first.”_

_“Also bring nails!”_ Ghost said. _“In case bad guys appear!”_

The Vessels were born with the inherent skill to fight, which was another thing the King had hoped to instill in them back in their eggs. While they were born with the skill, they would need to train to polish it, but even before training their inherent skill would be enough for them to put up a good fight. Hallow chirped thoughtfully at the suggestion. Perhaps they should get nails for their siblings. They’ll have to check the training grounds’ armory for suitable nails if they were. They weren’t sure about getting one for Hornet, however, even if she proclaimed to be their protector. They had seen her training with a shellwood needle before but she was still a grub and wasn’t born with the skill the Vessels were born with. She did say that Hive Knight from the Hive was also helping to train her though, so maybe they’ll get a small needle for her if there was one in the armory.

The children finalized their plan and rolled up the map. After getting permission from their fathers they’ll start on their journey through Hallownest. They headed out and went to look for their fathers, starting their search in the King’s workshop. There, they found the two kings looking over some documents and discussing various ideas, shooting some down while writing others down. The children tugged at their robes, catching their attention and asked for permission to go on their journey. The two kings looked at each other before looking down at their children and crossing their arms, looking stern.

“Absolutely not.”

Operation: Help Fathers Beat The Bad Light was shot down before it even began.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short one. but then again, when are they not short? x'D i hope you enjoy them nonetheless xD

The kings sent the children on their way, the Father suggesting they play in the courtyard and leave the problem solving to the adults. They were thankful that the children had wanted to help, but the Father insisted that they just be children and have fun while the adults took care of things.

“I would keep a close eye on them if I were you,” he said.

The King groaned and put a hand on his head. “Don’t tell me they’re going to try and sneak out…”

“They can and they will,” the Father said, chuckling. “Ghost in particular is the master of sneaking out, and they sometimes get their siblings wound up in it. Any retainer I send to look after them end up being left behind.”

Truly, the Father had much more experience with children than the King. The King only hoped that he could get even a fraction of the Father’s knowledge on childcare or else he may just end up being overwhelmed.

The King sighed. “I’ll have to see to that then. In any case, your suggestion on a sort of mental barrier…”

“Ah, yes.”

The Father had written down his own research into the idea and shared it with the King.

“Considering that the Infection plagues the mind, I had wondered if there was a way to fortify it in order to defend against the Radiance’s light. Of course, not everyone has amazing mental fortitude so I was researching to see if there was a way to create a sort of temporary barrier for the populace. Dreams would have been a wonderful way to do that, but you know…”

The King crossed his arms and nodded. “Indeed. The Radiance rules over that domain so we can’t use it against her.”

The Father sighed, scratching his head as he crossed out “mental barrier” on the document before moving on to the next idea on the list.

“I was studying the moth tribe before I was brought here, and it was said that they once wielded weapons called the Dream Nail to tear the fabric between dreams and the waking world. However, the moth tribe has all but died out in my timeline. Is it the same here?”

The King nodded. “Unfortunately. Though recently I have heard that a survivor yet lives. I have not heard where yet, but there have been rumors.”

The Father’s eyes widened. “Then we may have a chance with this idea. It may be small and even if the moth does live, a Dream Nail might not be with them. But even then we could still get information on the Radiance and that would greatly help us towards our goal.”

“Our first step is to find the rumored moth,” the King said. “We should consult with Lurien and Monomon to see if they have heard wind of the moth. Herrah might not have, considering Deepnest’s relationship with the kingdom.”

“Which you should get to fixing soon,” the Father suggested. “It may be a bit difficult, but I am sure you can do it. In my timeline, Herrah and I get along very well despite the rocky start.”

The King hummed, uncertain if he could achieve the same thing the Father has, but had the will to try anyways. If he can change then surely he can fix his relationship with Herrah. The Father gathered up the documents on the table and straightened them out, stacking them into a neat pile.

“Let us head to the City of Tears and consult with Lurien first,” he said. “We will check up on the children first before leaving. Hopefully they are playing in the garden like I suggested.”

“Yes, and we shall have Root look after them while we are gone,” said the King. “I am sure she would be happy to look after them.”

The two kings left their workshop and headed for the courtyard, expecting to find their children playing there. When they arrived, however, no one was there. They panicked initially before rationalizing that maybe they had gone to play elsewhere. As they were going to search another place, the White Lady entered the courtyard.

“Oh, my Wyrms,” she greeted, smiling. “What has you two in such a fuss?”

“My Root, have you seen our children?” the King asked her, hoping against hope that she had.

The White Lady put a hand on her cheek. “I am afraid not. I was actually looking for them so that I could play with them. I have already checked nearly everywhere and had assumed that they might be playing here.”

If it was possible for the Pale Kings to become even paler than they actually were, they would have done so at her words. They looked at each other as the memory of them asking to go on a journey played in their minds.

“They snuck out.”


	26. Chapter 26

The children were sitting on a bench in the courtyard, idly admiring the flower arc above them. Their fathers had denied them from going on their journey and were told to leave everything to them. They couldn’t do that! Hallow knew for a fact that the King worked many sleepless nights, thanks to their accidental finding of the King asleep in his workshop. Hornet kicked her feet in frustration.

“No fair! Wanna hewp!” she huffed. “Gonna beat up da bad light!”

_“Can’t,”_ Kin said, looking disappointed. _“Fathers won’t let us.”_

_“Maybe ask again?”_ Leaf suggested. _“Maybe they’ll say yes this time.”_

Ghost was staring at the map, particularly at the Resting Grounds and the Royal Waterways. They just knew they had to go to those places. They couldn’t be sitting around here idly, they needed to find out what was pulling them to these places. They hopped off the bench, causing their siblings to look at them questioningly.

_“What’s wrong?”_ Hallow asked.

_“Gonna go,”_ Ghost replied, rolling up the map. _“Can’t stay still. Need to go to these places. I’m gonna help fathers and find out about these weird feelings!”_

_“But fathers won’t let us go,”_ Hallow said. _“We can’t go if they didn’t give us permission.”_

Hornet hopped off the bench as well, huffing. “Hmph! Ghost is wight! We gotta help our daddies! We can fight and pwotect ourselves! We’re gonna beat up da bad light so dat she won’t hurt anyone anymore!”

Hallow tried to reason with his siblings when Leaf hopped down the bench as well.

_“You’re right! The bad light is hurting a lot of people and making fathers, mother and everyone sad. We can’t not do anything!”_ they exclaimed.

Hallow desperately looked to Kin, hoping that they would be reasonable. Kin looked thoughtful, a hand on their mask. Their fathers had not given them permission to leave the palace, but they really wanted to help them fight the Radiance. They were sure they would get in a lot of trouble once their fathers found out that they left without permission, but like Leaf said, they couldn’t not do anything. With a self-assured nod, they hopped down the bench.

_“We have to go,”_ they told Hallow.

Hallow chirped in defeat, putting their hands on the sides of their mask. They really shouldn’t be doing this. They had to follow their father’s decision and stay put, even if they wanted to help, but their siblings clearly think the opposite. This was not a good idea, not one bit! They would get in so much trouble!

But…

Their desire to help their father, even before their father from another timeline appeared, was strong. So strong that they had acted as a perfect Pure Vessel for their father. They wanted to protect what he wanted to protect even if it meant sacrificing themself. Hallownest was their home, though they had not known anything beyond the White Palace, the Ancient Basin and the Abyss. It was also home to the bugs they so dearly loved: their father, their mother, Hornet the Five Great Knights, Quirrel, Monomon, Lurien, Herrah, even though Deepnest was not part of Hallownest, their nail mentor, Sly also lived in this kingdom along with his three disciples. It was now also home to their void siblings. So many other countless bugs called Hallownest home. They wanted to protect this kingdom, this home to many bugs including them and their family and friends. Getting in trouble with their fathers was a small thing compared to helping them defeat the Radiance.

Hallow let out a silent sigh, hopping off the bench.

They couldn’t sit still, not when there was a bad light to defeat.

_“Alright. Let’s go.”_

Their siblings cheered and hugged them, thanking them for agreeing to go along with them. Ghost held their hand, squeezing it gently.

_“Thank you, Hallow.”_

Hallow squeezed back.

_“Thank_ _you_ _, Ghost,”_ they said. _“You got me all pumped up.”_

Ghost giggled and hugged them before raising a fist in the air.

_“Let’s go, everyone! Our first stop is the City of Tears! We’re gonna go to the Watcher’s Spire!”_

The children pumped up a fist in the air, cheering. Hornet took the lead, stating that there was a Stag Station just outside the palace and that they can use it to get to the City of Tears quickly.

  
_“To the City_ of Tears!”


	27. Chapter 27

The stag had looked at his new passengers curiously. He had never seen children leaving from the Palace Station before, but his job was to carry passengers to their destination so he hadn’t questioned them. He was a bit worried that they had no guardian with them, but they had carried weapons with them (which also kind of worried him, but maybe they were students of the nail? There were quite a few children who started training after all.) so he had thought they could take care of themselves.

“Where to, little ones?” he asked them.

“King’s Station!” the little spider exclaimed.

“Very well. Please get on.”

The stag lowered himself to the ground to allow easier access to the saddle on his back. The children climbed on and fastened their seatbelts. With his passengers secured the stag went on his way, delighting his little passengers with his speed.

In no time, the King’s Station platform was in view and the stag skid to a halt.

“Here we are, little ones. King’s Station.”

He lowered himself back onto the ground to let his little passengers off. They all jumped down and waved at him, giving their thanks before going on their way.

“Dis is King’s Station!” Hornet exclaimed, gesturing to the bustling station.

Bugs were going to and fro, the ringing of stag bells and the stomping of stag feet echoing through the halls. It was lively, people were chatting and there were so many bugs that the Vessels had never seen before! What a thrill! The children looked around in awe as they walked through the station, some of the bugs passing by looking at them in curiosity. They all moved to a nearby wall so as to not get in other bugs’ way. Ghost pulled out the map and opened it, their siblings looking over it.

 _“Watcher’s Spire here,”_ they said, pointing to its location on the map. _“So we have to go to…”_

 _“That way?”_ Kin asked, pointing in a direction.

Leaf looked down at the map then at the direction Kin pointed to.

_“Ummm...I think so?”_

Hallow looked at the map, tapping their mask thoughtfully.

 _“Hmmm...no, I think it’s this way,”_ they said, pointing to a different direction.

Hornet hummed. “No...I tink it’s da way Kin pointed to.”

Ghost nodded. _“Yeah, I think so too.”_

Hallow tilted their head and looked at the map again.

_“Oh, yeah. I think you’re right. Let’s go that way then.”_

Ghost rolled the map back up and put it away under their cloak before leading the way. They walked through crowds of bugs, making their way out of the station. There was a box just by the entrance that offered complimentary umbrellas to bugs who didn’t have one, and they grabbed the smallest one in the box which was big enough for all four of them. The rain fascinated the Vessels who had never seen rain before, and they all decided that they liked it, especially when the rain hit the glass, making a pretty sound when it did. They passed by a fountain and eventually they came into another building which was supposed to be the Watcher’s Spire.

“I tink dis is da one,” Hornet said, heading to the elevator.

They got on, barely squeezing through the other passengers’ legs and up they went. A few more elevator rides later, they found themselves at an entrance to another area in the building.

 _“We’re here, I think,”_ Ghost said, looking down at the map then back at the entrance.

 _“Let’s go see Lurien!”_ Leaf said excitedly. _“He’s called the Watcher right? I bet he’s seen a whole lotta stuff!”_

Hallow nodded. _“Father said he watches over the city. Looks out for any trouble and to make sure everything is running smoothly.”_

 _“Then he might have a clue for us if he sees a lot of stuff,”_ Kin said.

“He’s stiww a boring guy,” Hornet said. “Aways talks about boring things and daddy a lot.”

The children laughed and they went through the entrance, unaware that they were in the wrong area. They had passed by the entrance to the Watcher’s Spire and ended up somewhere completely different.

The children had accidentally entered the Soul Sanctum.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is what happens when you don't have wayward compass equipped, children x'DDD also, i couldnt get this posted earlier thanks to a blackout which meant i couldnt charge my laptop x'D


	28. Chapter 28

Back in the White Palace, two kings and their queen were panicking.

“Where could they have gone?!” the King cried.

“Wyrm, please calm yourself,” the White Lady said, trying to calm him down despite her own panic.

“They shouldn’t have gone too far,” the Father said. While he was very much panicking, he had dealt with disappearing children more often than the King. “Let us make our way to the Palace Station. We can ask one of the stags if they have seen the children.”

The King took a few deep breaths before responding. “Y-Yes, you are right. We will have to cover ourselves as much as possible though. Both to hide our identities as the Pale King and not to cause panic at the appearance of two of us.”

“I can help you with that,” said the White Lady. “I can make sure to cover as much of your light and discerning features as much as possible.”

“Thank you, Root. It will help us immensely. Let us get ready quickly!”

The King hurried inside, followed by the Father and the White Lady. The White Lady covered them up as best she could, doing a wonderful job in the process. No one could tell that they were the Pale King nor did any of their light come through the clothes.

“Be careful out there, my Wyrms,” she said. “And bring back our children safely.”

“Do not worry, Root,” the Father reassured her. “I have dealt with this quite a few times already. We will have them back before you know it.”

The White Lady smiled before ushering them out. “I’ll be waiting for your return then.”

The two kings left the palace and headed for the station.

“I must admit that I have not used the stagways…” the King said.

“Ah, so you are the same then,” the Father replied, ringing the stag bell. “I, too, have not used them, but time is of the essence here and the children most likely used the stagways judging from how many places they wanted to go to.”

Moments after ringing the bell, a stag came running through the gate, skidding to a halt in front of the kings.

“Where to, dear passengers?” he asked.

“There is something we must ask of you first, my friend,” the Father said.

The stag tilted his head, noting the way these passengers were dressed but not questioning it.

“What do you need of me?”

“We are wondering if you have seen five children use the stagways recently. A pair of twins, one with three horns, another with four and a little spider dressed in a red cloak,” the King said. “Alone with no guardian accompanying them."

The stag hummed, nodding. “I have indeed seen them. As a matter of fact, I am the one who answered their call. They wished to be brought to King’s Station. Are you their guardians?”

“Yes, we are,” the Father answered. “They snuck away from us while we were not looking and went off on a little adventure.”

The stag eyed the two kings, as if judging whether or not they were telling the truth about being their guardians or if they were crooks who wanted to kidnap them. They were leaving the Palace Station so the latter may not be true since no crook would ever come from the station of the White Palace. He hummed, coming to a decision and nodding, lowering himself down to the ground.

“I see. I brought the little ones to King’s Station not too long ago so you should still be able to catch them. They were equipped with weapons, however, so they should be relatively safe until you find them.”

The King looked surprised while the Father did not. The latter knew that the children would take weapons from the armory to arm themselves for safety thanks to his own children doing the same thing.

“I did not think they would take weapons along with them…” the King muttered, unsure whether or not to be proud or stunned. Proud that his children had the foresight to arm themselves just in case and stunned that they would even be near the armory full of sharp and dangerous weapons. Excluding Hallow of course since they were already being trained by Sly.

The two kings climbed aboard and the stag took off for King’s Station, reaching it in no time. The stag skidded to a halt and let down his passengers.

“I hope you find your children soon, sirs,” the stag said.

They kings nodded and took off, hurrying through the station while also keeping a look out for the children. A few bugs stared at their curious state of dress but they ignored them in favor of looking for the little runaways.

“Perhaps we should visit Lurien,” the King suggested. “They might have made their way to his spire or he could have seen them through his telescope.”

The Father weighed their options. “Hm...true, but we should probably look for them ourselves first. The children do not have a good sense of direction yet, and I know. Ghost and a few other of my children had wanted to visit the Watcher's Spire but completely overshot it. Plus, the Spire is near, but the time it would take to get there also means the children get further away from us. We could split up, but then if one of us gets found out and someone else sees the other elsewhere...”

The implications were clear. Should either of them get spotted in different areas, there was sure to be confusion and chaos to ensue. The best option was for them to stick together. The King nodded in understanding.

“Let us comb the city as fast as we can then. They could not have gotten far.”

They hurried through the city, not bothering with an umbrella. They passed the noble’s district, then the fountain area, then into another building. Along the way, they had asked a few passersby if they had seen the children.

“Ah, I did happen to see five children a little while ago,” answered one bug. “I remember seeing them get off the elevator and enter the Soul Sanctum. I had assumed that they might have been the children of one of the scholars or children interested in research.”

The Father froze at the bug’s answer.

This bug did _not_ just tell them that their children entered the Soul Sanctum. Their children _couldn’t_ be at the Soul Sanctum.

“I see, thank you for your time,” he said quickly, grabbing the King and hurriedly leaving the bug behind.

“H-Hey, what is wrong with you all of a sudden?” the King asked, startled but the sudden exit.

“If the children are indeed in the Soul Sanctum then they are in danger!” he hissed quietly so as to not alert anyone nearby.

The King blinked, giving him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“Let me ask you something.”

The Father took him to an empty area, looking around for anyone nearby before continuing.

“Is the Soul Master still in charge of the Soul Sanctum?”

“Yes, he is,” the King answered, furrowing his brow. “Is there...something wrong with him?”

The Father cursed and grabbed the King by the shoulders.

“Listen to me carefully, that son of a dirtcarver is killing innocent bugs for their Soul. Every one of those scholars are following his actions, killing bugs and taking their Soul, hoarding it for themselves thinking that they will gain immortality from it! Once I found that out, I personally executed that disgusting excuse for a bug myself!”

The King froze at his words but he continued on.

“If this timeline is anything like mine, quite a few bugs have gone missing as of late, yes?”

The King nodded slowly. It was true. There had been quite a few reports of bugs going missing and he had Lurien look into the matter. There had not been much progress but some of the reports had said that the bugs in question had disappeared near the Soul Sanctum. He and Lurien had thought it strange and went to the Sanctum themselves to question the Soul Master, but there had been nothing convicting so they dropped the matter. To think that they were right at the source and they had been tricked like that!

But even more infuriating than that was the fact that bugs were disappearing for such a repulsing reason as gaining immortality from their Soul. Someone who he trusted to do their work was killing _his_ subjects for such a disgusting reason, and now that someone will do the same thing to _his_ children without hesitation. The King could feel his blood both boil and freeze at the thought. To know that his children were close to such danger froze his blood, but knowing that someone out there even had the gall to harm them made him angrier than ever.

No one will harm his children. Not if he had anything to say about it.

The King turned around, his eyes holding a deep anger.

“Then let us make for the Soul Sanctum. I, too, will personally execute that disgusting excuse for a bug myself.”

He started making for the Soul Sanctum, the Father right beside him.

“And I will make it as painful as possible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter in this whole story! i'm pretty proud of that xD
> 
> i wanted the kings to head straight for the soul sanctum without taking any detours so i had the father make that decision. i hope its a good excuse x'D lurien will come in later for the aftermath


	29. Chapter 29

The children looked around in wonder. There were a lot of stone journals lying around alongside parchment woven from spider’s silk. Lurien did watch over the city so were these his notes on the comings and goings of bugs in the city? The children didn’t know.

_ “Where’s Lurien?”  _ Kin asked, looking around. They had yet to see anyone around, only the journals and a few strange contraptions. They had taken a few elevators up and they hadn’t seen any sign of the Watcher or anyone who may have worked under him.

“He should be at da top,” Hornet said. “His tewescope is up dere.”

_ “I wonder what these thingies do,”  _ Leaf wondered, poking one as they passed it.

_ “Don’t touch,”  _ Hallow warned them.  _ “Might hurt yourself.” _

_ “Look, an elevator,”  _ Ghost said, pointing to the elevator.  _ “This one might take us to the top.” _

The children got on, riding it up and wondering where everyone was. They got off and as they exited, something caught Ghost’s eye. They tilted their head and walked towards it only to find that it was an ornate glass jar with a glowing white energy swirling around inside. They put a hand on it and at once, they understood what it was.

It was a jar filled with Soul.

They quickly pulled their hand away as if they had been burnt. Something about it just seemed terribly and utterly wrong and they hurried back to their siblings. The others were in the middle of the room, looking for signs of Lurien when Ghost came running to them, looking disturbed.

_ “What’s wrong?”  _ Hallow asked them, concerned.

_ “Found a jar of Soul,”  _ Ghost answered.  _ “Don’t know why, but it creeps me out.” _

Hallow tilted their head but nodded, putting a hand on the hilt of their nail just in case. The others followed suit with their own weapons, sensing Ghost’s distress.

_ “Why is there a jar of Soul here?”  _ Leaf asked, feeling a little scared at the new discovery.

“I dunno,” answered Hornet, gripping her needle tight. “But wet’s find out.”

The children proceeded cautiously, Hallow and Kin ushering their smaller siblings behind them to take the lead. They didn’t know what Lurien was doing with a jar of Soul, but with the way Ghost seemed creeped out about it made them think that it may be something no good. Wasn’t Lurien a good guy? He seemed like someone who wouldn’t do anything creepy from what they’ve seen of him and Hallow and Hornet’s description of him. After a moment of walking they finally heard signs of people around and they tightened their grip on their weapons, turning the corner.

A group of bugs wearing scholarly cloaks was surrounding another group of bugs who were tied up and unconscious. The unconscious bugs were tied to some eerie contraption, empty ornate glass jars similar to what Ghost had seen were hanging from the ceiling. The tallest of the scholarly bugs turned around, seeing that they had unwanted visitors and smirking.

“Oh? Well, well, well. What do we have here?” he said, chuckling sinisterly. “A group of children who seemed to have accidentally wandered into the Soul Sanctum.”

The children immediately got into defensive stances, pulling out their weapons. One of the scholars laughed.

“Haha, oh, look at them. It seems they’re in training,” he said. “They must be quite confident in their skills.”

The scholars minus the tallest ones conjured up balls of magical energy shooting them at the children who managed to dodge them. But they didn’t know that the balls came rushing back, hitting Kin and knocking them aside. Leaf hurried to their side, pulling them up and getting them to safety. Hallow glared at the scholars and proceeded to lunge towards them, slashing their nail in a large arc and managing to scratch them up in the process. How dare they hurt innocent bugs and Kin!

“Tch, nosy brat!”

Another ball was sent towards Hallow, but was split in two by Ghost who jumped in front of them.

“SHAW!!”

The sudden cry drew everyone’s attention and all they saw was a red blur fly through the air and suddenly the bindings holding the bugs hostage were broken. Apparently Hornet had tied silk to her needle and used it to fling herself onto the contraption in order to free the hostages. The tall scholar did not look happy about that.

“What are you doing, you disgusting child?! Don’t you dare try and break our machine and take our immortality away!”

“Wah!”

The tall bug conjured four magical balls and sent them flying towards Hornet. The little spider used her silk to dodge them but one of the balls managed to knock her out of the air and onto the floor near her siblings. The tall scholar huffed, approaching the children.

“It appears that we would need to deal with these meddling kids first.”

There was a whooshing sound in the air and suddenly all the scholars minus the tallest one were pinned to the wall by soul nails.

“Do not dare lay a hand on my children, you pathetic son of a dirtcarver!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not very good at fight scenes x'D oh well


	30. Chapter 30

The two kings had rushed into the Soul Sanctum, desperately looking for their children when they had finally come upon them, Soul Master and a group of scholars towering over them. An injured Kin was being supported by Leaf and Ghost was helping an equally injured Hornet up. All the while Hallow stood in front of their siblings, nail drawn in order to protect them. Soul Master was saying something but the King didn’t hear him, too angry that he even dared to hurt his children and immediately conjured soul nails, pinning his disgusting scholars to the wall.

“Do not dare lay a hand on my children, you pathetic son of a dirtcarver!”

The children and Soul Master were startled at the kings’ sudden appearance, turning to them. Hallow, having recognized the soul nails, immediately ushered his siblings to their fathers’ side. The Father bent down, taking Kin and Hornet from them and feeling his heart break at the sight of their injuries. Soul Master recognized the soul nails as well and scowled.

“Well, if it isn’t His Majesty the Pale King himself,” he said mockingly.

“Silence,” the King hissed, drawing his nail. “To think you had the nerve to kill _my_ subjects and hurt _my_ children! All for the sake of gaining immortality that you will never have!”

As a higher being, it was disgusting to the King to see Soul Master try and gain immortality by taking the lives of others. He and his counterpart had ascended properly while Soul Master tried to gain immortality through murder.

“What do you know?! You’re immortal, Wyrm!” Soul Master shouted.

“That does not mean I am going to allow your crimes to continue!” the King growled. “I may not be able to fully understand the fear of death, but what I do understand is that life, however short it would be for a common bug, is precious. The lives that you took from those bugs were precious to them. The things they could have done, the things they could have accomplished! You took that away from them! And you would have done the same thing to my children!”

The King had already taken away the lives of countless of his own children before they could even start them. The least he could do was not allow anyone else to take the lives of his remaining children. The Father looked at the King in awe. How his counterpart had grown in the short time he had known him. Despite the situation, a small smile crept its way onto his lips.

 _“He will be okay,”_ he thought. _“This timeline will be okay.”_

The Father carefully laid Kin and Hornet down after patching them up with a bit of Soul, and he quietly told the children to hide under a table and look away. He drew his own nail, narrowing his eyes at Soul Master. He had already executed the one in his timeline and he would gladly do it in this one, but that privilege belonged to his counterpart.

“I will take care of the others,” the Father said to the King. “I will leave Soul Master to you.”

The King nodded leaving the goons to the Father while he approached Soul Master. The soon-to-be-dead bug started to attack, but the King just slashed through each energy ball with ease until he was right in front of Soul Master. The King glared at him, disgusted to have such a thing in his presence.

“Soul Master, for killing innocent bugs and stealing their soul and for daring to hurt my children, I sentence you to death.”

The King drove his nail right through Soul Master’s heart causing the scholar to gasp and struggle but the King just drove his nail in further until it protruded from the scholar’s back. He watched as Soul Master struggled, feeling no sympathy for the bug and swiftly pulled his nail out, dropping Soul Master to the ground. He huffed and swung his nail, cleaning it of the filthy bug’s equally filthy blood. The King looked up to see the Father do the same to his own nail once he was done disposing of the small fry. The Father sheathed his nail as he walked back towards the King, kicking Soul Master’s body out of the way.

“Hmph, good riddance,” he said, glaring at the body.

“I am going to have to rearrange the Soul Sanctum,” the King said, sheathing his own nail. “I am going to put Lurien in charge of the place.”

“A good idea, for I had done the same and he is managing it very well. Even better than Soul Master,” the Father said nodding.

The two made their way to the table the children were hiding under, kneeling down and makign sure the corpses were out of the children’s view.

“Are you okay, my children?” the King asked softly, holding out his hand to them.

The children jumped out from under the table and into both kings’ arms, crying silently and burying their faces in their robes. They had put up a tough front but they were very scared inside, having come across such a scary situation and seeing those poor bugs tied up to such an eerie contraption.

“Sssh,” the Father shushed them. “It is okay now. Nothing is going to hurt you anymore. We are proud that you managed to be brave in spite of everything.”

“We should take them out of here,” said the King as he stood up. “Kin and Hornet will need some proper healing. As for the hostages…”

“I have already lined them up against that wall.” The Father gestured to the hostages leaning against said wall. “We will have the city guard take care of them once we contact them.”

“Yes, and after that we must make our way to the Watcher’s Spire,” said the King.

The two kings held their children in their arms and started to make their way out of the Soul Sanctum. Ghost, who had laid their head on the Father’s shoulder, chirped in alarm and pulled at the Father’s robes.

Behind them, Soul Master was slowly getting up, conjuring one last energy ball bigger and stronger than the ones from before.

“I...will not die...without...taking you with me, Pale King!”

The Father whipped around just in time to see the attack fly towards them and his body moved on its own. He shoved Ghost into the King’s startled arms and blocked the incoming attack, his wings flaring out to provide more cover. The two let out a cry as they were thrown to the ground from the attack. Soul Master let out a triumphant laugh as he saw them fall before finally succumbing to his wounds.

The King groaned before realizing what happened and quickly getting up, checking to see if the children were hurt before turning to his counterpart. If he could be paler than he already was he would have done so at the sight of his counterpart. Part of the Father’s disguise was singed, allowing the King to see that his light had dimmed considerably, evidence that he had been badly injured. The children, who had wiggled out from under the King looked devastated, surrounding the Father and crying.

“D-Daddy!” Hornet cried.

 _“Father!”_ the Vessels cried in the void language.

The King lifted the Father into his arms, cursing under his breath as he healed as many injuries as he could with Soul.

“You idiot! What did you do that for?!” the King berated him.

“Urgh...sorry...my body just...moved on its own…” the Father answered weakly before passing out.

“You idiot…” the King repeated. “You really are a more emotional version of me, jumping in like that...”

They couldn’t go out like this, so the King looked for something he could cover up the Father with and found some spare cloaks lying around. He wrapped the Father up in one and hurried out of the Soul Sanctum, the children trailing after him. Once out, he called to a nearby bug to call for the city guard and Lurien, making up a story that he, the Father and the children had been held hostage in the Soul Sanctum. It was convincing with the state the Father was in. The other nearby bugs brought the group to rest at a nearby bench while waiting for the city guard and Lurien to arrive. The King laid the Father down on the bench before sitting beside him, the children gathering around the Father worriedly.

What an adventure this turned out to be.

\--

The Father was dreaming.

He could tell from the glowing essence floating around freely.

There were clouds and platforms floating in the air, a golden light emanating from the sun.

“What do we have here, hm?”

The Father turned around.

The sun unfurled its wings.

“I have a feeling that you don’t belong here, Pale King.”


	31. Chapter 31

The city guard arrived with Lurien in tow. The guards were dispatched to the Soul Sanctum to take care of the hostages and any remaining scholars that may have hidden themselves. Lurien looked beside himself with worry as he took in the Father’s condition. The Father may not be his king in this timeline but he was still the Pale King all the same. A few guards escorted them to the Watcher’s Spire before heading back to the Sanctum on Lurien’s orders. They couldn’t have others see that there were two Pale Kings after all. They brought the Father to a guest room, patching up his injuries along with Kin’s and Hornet’s.

“My deepest apologies, my king,” Lurien said, bowing deeply to the King. “The cause of the disappearances was right under my nose and I didn’t see it. All those bugs who were killed...there is no excuse for my inaction. I have failed at being the Watcher of the City of Tears...”

The King waved a hand. “It is not your fault, Lurien. Soul Master covered up his tracks well, even after we caught the common point of bugs disappearing near the Soul Sanctum. If anything, it is my fault for placing him in charge of the Sanctum. From this day forward you are to be in charge.”

“Yes, my king! But if I may say something...it is not your fault either, my king. We didn’t know Soul Master would do such a thing.”

The King gave him a small smile. “Perhaps you are right.”

Lurien’s heart skipped a beat at his smile and he stuttered. “I-I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again under my watch! I will make you proud, m-my king!”

“Yes, I am counting on you, my dear Watcher,” the King said, nodding.

Lurien felt like he could die from happiness but composed himself, clearing his throat. “A-At any rate, I do believe that your counterpart should be waking up soon. Shall we check on him?”

“We shall. I have quite a few words to say to him concerning his reckless actions. Really, he is much more emotional than I am even though we are the same bug.”

They headed to the guest room and opened the door, finding that the Father had not woken up and that the children had not left his side. The King let out a small huff as he sat on the chair beside the bed while Lurien checked the Father’s injuries. His counterpart should wake up soon and see how much he’s worrying the children.

 _“Father...will other Father wake up soon…?”_ Hallow asked.

“Of course he will, Hallow,” the King reassured him. “He will not let something as small as this keep him down.

 _“I hope he wakes up fast…”_ Leaf said, holding onto the Father’s hand.

The King picked up Kin and Hornet, placing them down on his lap.

“He will be fine,” he said. “I am still worried about you two. Are you okay? Did that son of a--I mean did Soul Master hurt you badly?”

“We’re fine, daddy!” Hornet exclaimed. “It didn’t hurt a wot!”

Kin nodded. _“It was scary, but we’re okay. Fathers came and saved us after all! And Ghost and Hornet were really cool! Ghost protected Hallow and Hornet freed those bugs!”_

“Is that so?” the King asked looking at Hornet and Ghost.

The two nodded, puffing out their chests proudly.

 _“Not going to let anyone hurt my siblings!”_ Ghost exclaimed.

“Yeah! Gonna beat up aww da bad guys!” Hornet proclaimed.

The King chuckled and pat their heads before turning his attention to the Father.

“Honestly, how long does this man intend to stay asleep? The children are waiting for him.”

“It shouldn’t be long now,” Lurien replied. “I think he’ll wake up right now--”

He was cut off when the Father let out a groan, his eyes tightening and his free hand clenching into a fist. However, he didn’t wake up, only moving his head side to side and squirming almost as if he was…

“...Is he dreaming?” the King wondered. “Or is he having a nightmare…?”

Gods forbid that it would be a nightmare. He didn’t want to attract the attention of a certain Troupe Master.

Lurien gently shook the Father’s shoulder.

“Your Majesty, please wake up,” he said softly. “It is only a dream. Your children are waiting for you to wake up.”

The Father didn’t wake up to Lurien’s gentle coaxing, only groaning in response. The King furrowed his brow in concern. 

“Lurien, please take the children to another room. I will stay here and watch over him.”

The King gave him a look and Lurien understood, nodding.

“As you wish, my king. Come along, children. Why don’t we play some games while we wait for your father to wake up?”

The children looked reluctant to leave the Father’s side, but with a bit more coaxing they followed the Watcher out of the room. Once they were gone, the King turned his attention back to his counterpart.

“Are you having a nightmare?” he mumbled, watching him closely.

It did look like he was having a nightmare but the groans the Father let out sounded pained. As if he was in actual pain even though he was asleep. Something didn’t seem right about that and the King didn’t like the feeling of dread that was slowly growing within him.

\--

The Father nearly let out a scream but bit it down as he was burned by the balls of light. He refused to give the Radiance the satisfaction.

The Radiance giggled as she watched her pale prisoner struggle against his bindings and keep himself composed. The Father was bound by chains and shackles that were connected to pillars that pierced the clouds.

“I had thought I sensed something strange,” she said. “Turns out it was you I sensed. You are the Pale King yet you do not feel like the Pale King I know. Could it be that you’re from another timeline?”

“And...what if I am…?” the Father said, panting.

Ever since he had fallen unconscious from Soul Master’s attack, the Radiance had been torturing him in his dream turned prison.

“If you are that is quite fascinating,” she replied. “I do not think that the Pale King had the ability to travel through time. Who sent you here, I wonder? Haha, whoever they are, they must have been desperate if they had to send another Pale King to a different timeline.”

She took hold of his chin and tilted his face up, reveling at the sight of his pained face.

“I don’t know what you and the original Pale King are planning, but even if there’s two of you you won’t be able to stop me. Just as you took everything from me, I will take everything from you.”

“Gh...t-this is absurd…!” the Father cried. “The moths...decided to follow me...of their own volition! I did not...force them to follow me! I am sure...that it is the same...with my counterpart!”

“It’s because you showed up that they left me!”

A nail suddenly pierce his shoulder and the Father almost let out a cry before pushing it back down. The Radiance clicked her tongue, unsatisfied that her surprise attack didn’t reward her with a cry of pain.

“Hmph, a stubborn Wyrm you are,” she said unhappily. “Well, I suppose I should be lucky I have one of you trapped though you wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop me even if you were awake.”

The Father grit his teeth and tried his best to wake up from his dream, if he could even call it that anymore. It’s more akin to a nightmare despite the Essence being white instead of red. The dream wavered a bit in his attempts and the Radiance hummed in amusement.

“Oh, it seems that you do still have the strength to try and wake up. But no matter, I will just drag you back here.”

\--

The King abruptly stood up as he noticed his counterpart trying to wake up.

“Wake up!” he said. “You have to wake up!”

The Father’s eyes cracked open just a bit, but he still seemed to be half in dreams. He shakily lifted a hand towards the King and he took it, concerned.

“What...What is wrong--”

“Cannot...stay awake for much longer…” the Father managed to say. “She is...keeping me prisoner...torturing...me…”

It took the King a minute to let his words sink in before his heart started racing in panic and he took the Father’s face in his hands.

“No, stay awake! You cannot let her take you back to the dream realm! Do you hear me?! Wake up!! The children are waiting for you to wake up!!”

At the mention of the children, the Father seemed to wake up more but only for a second.

“I am...trying but...cannot...stay awake...please, you must find a way to stop her…I am...counting on you...”

With those final words, the Father fell unconscious once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to kc_r and damascene: no, the father's not going to get infected. he's just being tortured >:3c
> 
> i feel like i might be taking liberties with the radiance's power over dreams with how she is keeping him prisoner but i'm not sure. i haven't actually gotten to her yet in any of my save files and i'm not sure if i've seen enough of her lore or theories to get a good feel of how her powers would work xD


	32. Chapter 32

The King and Lurien were sitting at a table, silent.

“So...His Majesty is being kept prisoner by the Radiance…?” Lurien asked carefully.

“Yes, he told me that much,” he King replied, folding his hands together tightly.

The Father was currently still asleep in the guest room, the children having abandoned their games in favor of staying by his side. The King was unsure of how to tell them that the Father wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon despite him saying that he would. At the time, he had only thought he was still asleep because of Soul Master’s attack. To think that the Radiance had gotten hold of him in the dream realm and kept him prisoner, torturing him. The King tightened his hold on his hands, trembling as anger started to rise in him. In the time he had gotten to know the Father, the King had started to consider him a friend, a very close friend that he could trust his entire life to. It was strange, yes, since he and the Father were the same bug from different timelines but it didn’t matter. The Father was his trusted friend who gave him a chance to do things right. To be the father he should have been from the very beginning.

And now the Radiance dares to hurt his dear friend?

It wasn’t enough for her to spread her Infection throughout his kingdom. She just had to take his dear friend and hurt him, toying with him as if he were a plaything.

“Lurien.”

Lurien snapped to attention at his name, straightening up.

“Y-Yes, my king?”

“When I first arrived here in Hallownest, I did not force anyone to follow me. The moths who worshipped the Radiance...they decided to follow me of their own volition. In retaliation, she spread the Infection throughout the kingdom. She wants to take everything from me, though I had no intention of doing the same to her.”

“Y-Yes…”

“I was already sure that I was going to stop her, but this...this is the last straw.”

The King stood up, clenching his fist tightly, deep anger rolling off him in waves. Anger as deep as the Father’s was towards him when he found out he had been going forward with the Hollow Knight plan.

“This time, I am going to make her pay for hurting my dear friend.”

Lurien could feel himself break out into a cold sweat break. He could feel the anger emanating from his king and he wondered if it could be felt even outside the Watcher’s Spire. He had never seen the King so angry before. The King and Herrah’s rocky relationship would sometimes cause the King to be curt with Herrah but never to the point of being this angry.

“Lurien, I would ask for your assistance in helping me bring my counterpart and the children back to the White Palace. We will be taking the Ancient Basin elevator as using the stagways would bring too much attention to us.”

“Of course. Will we be leaving now?”

“Yes. Everyone is still preoccupied by the Soul Sanctum incident so we should be able to go through the city without too much trouble.”

The King reigned in his anger as much as he could so as to not alarm the children before heading to the guest room to retrieve the Father and the children. Inside, the children were looking over their map. They looked up at their arrival and Ghost was immediately at the King’s side, holding the map up and jumping.

“What is the matter, Ghost?” he asked, kneeling down.

_“Know how to wake up other father faster!”_ they exclaimed. _“Need to go to the Resting Grounds!”_

While the two adults were outside, the children had been going over their travel plans while watching over the Father. When Ghost was watching him sleep that nagging feeling that pulled them towards the Resting Grounds became even stronger. They didn’t know what it was, but it told them that if they went to the Resting Grounds they would be able to wake up the Father. They had expressed this feeling to their siblings and while they agreed to following Ghost’s feeling, they were sure that their father would be taking them back to the palace. They had to convince him somehow.

“Ghost, the Resting Grounds are where dead bugs are laid to rest,” the King said. “Rather than waking up, bugs are resting in peace there. Besides, you are all going back to the palace and will not be going anywhere anytime soon.”

_“No, no, there is something there that can wake other father up!”_ Ghost insisted. _“I know it! So please!”_

Hallow tugged on the King’s robes. _“We’re sorry we snuck out, but please let us go. We want to help you and other father!”_

_“Yes, please let us help!”_ Leaf chimed in.

_“We’ll accept any punishment you’ll give us later, but please let us help!”_ Kin said. _“I promise that none of us will get hurt again!”_

“We’re gonna pwotect you, other daddy and everyone in da kingdom!” Hornet exclaimed. “Because we’re da pwotectors of Hawwonest! I wanna make sure no one gets hurt! Da onwy ones who are gonna get hurt are da bad guys!”

The King looked troubled at this. After the danger they walked into he would rather keep his children safe in the palace, but knowing that they could sneak out worried him. He could have one of the Great Knights watch over them, but he had a nagging feeling that they could slip past even their watch. Root would be his best choice to watch over the children. He was sure she could reign the children in and keep them from getting into trouble. Not to mention it would give her a chance to be the mother she always wanted to be so he was sure she would agree to watch them wholeheartedly.

“My king, may I say something?” Lurien asked.

The King turned to his Watcher. “What is it, Lurien?”

“Why don’t you take them with you?”

“What? But…”

“If they are insisting this much, they most likely won’t listen to anything else you say.” Lurien smiled under his mask. “Besides, it’s better if you watch over them yourself than worry if they haven’t snuck out again right?”

The King considered his suggestion. It _would_ make him feel better if he was the one watching the children, but the dangers…

He looked down at the children who gave him looks of resolve and determination. Nothing was going to change their minds.

He sighed.

“...Fine. You may come along with me. But you must make sure to keep yourselves out of danger and to run if things become bad.”

The children cheered and hugged their father who hugged them back tightly.

“Let us bring back my counterpart to the White Palace first before heading to the Resting Grounds. And also…”

The King eyed the weapons the children were carrying. Hallow had their channeled nail but the others were carrying basic weapons.

“We shall equip you with better weapons.”

If the children were going to come with him on this journey then they were going to get the best weapons he could give them to protect themselves. As they got ready to head out the King took the Father’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

“I promise we will wake you up and free you from the Radiance’s grasp. I swear it, my dear friend.”


	33. Chapter 33

The group arrived at the White Palace, bringing the Father to the King’s chambers and placing him on the bed. They had explained the situation to the White Lady who looked heartbroken at the news.

“Oh...my dear Wyrm from another timeline...to think he would be hurt like this…” she said quietly, her voice shaky as she held his hand. It pained her to see him suffer in his sleep.

“We will free him, my Root,” the King reassured her. “And for that, we must head to the Resting Grounds. Ghost says that a way to wake him is there somewhere.”

“Do you really have to bring the children?” she asked worriedly. “Please let me watch over them, Wyrm.”

The King shook his head. “They have made up their minds, Root. Nothing is going to stop them from just sneaking out again. Do not worry, I will make sure nothing harms them.”

The White Lady still looked worried but eventually gave in. “Alright then. I trust you, my Wyrm. I know you’ll keep them safe.”

The King took her face in his hands and gave her a reassuring kiss that she returned.

“We will be back, my dear. We will come back safe and sound. All of us.”

“I believe you, Wyrm. I will wait for your safe return.”

The two parted ways after getting the children better weapons and making sure the Father was well taken care of. The King sent Lurien back to the City of Tears to deal with the aftermath of Soul Master’s crimes before heading to the Resting Grounds.

The trip was a bit long, Ghost was fidgeting eagerly in their seat. They were so close to finding whatever it was that waited for them in the Resting Grounds. It was something important, they felt. Something that could possibly help them fight against the bad light. The Resting Grounds platform was finally in view and the stag skidded to a stop before they got off. There seemed to be a lull in visitors as there weren’t many bugs passing through. The perfect time for the King and his children to come.

“Do you know where to look, Ghost?” the King asked them.

Ghost looked around as they exited the station before looking up at the upper platforms. Perhaps it was because it was so quiet that they were able to hear a faint voice coming from the highest platform.

_ “Up there,”  _ they said.

“Very well. Come, my children. I shall--”

The King was about to carry his children, but they all raced forward and jumped up from one platform to the next eagerly. He let out an amused huff before following them using his wings. The voice got louder the higher they went and when they finally reached the highest platform they found a little shelter with dream catchers hanging around. Ghost carefully stepped inside, followed by their siblings and father.

“Ahh...welcome, young ones and their Pale Father.”

Inside, an old moth greeted them even before they introduced themselves. She was seated among a mountain of cushions, more dream catchers hanging inside.

The King’s eyes widened at the sight of a living moth. It seemed that the rumors he had heard were true.

“How did you know who we are?”

“I saw it,” the moth replied. “Though my foresight is no match for that of Wyrms. I knew not when you would arrive, only that you would. Please, come sit.”

The moth beckoned to them, gesturing for them to sit on the cushions. The King took a seat while the children happily dove into the cushion mountain.

“You are capable of foresight?”

“Yes. I am called the Seer,” the moth introduced herself. “I reside here in the Resting Grounds, tending to the graves as I wait for the arrival of the Wielder.”

Ghost trotted over to her and the moth pat their head, earning her a happy chirp.

_ “Seer has something that can wake people up,” _ they said.  _ “What is it?” _

“And what is this ‘Wielder’ you speak of?” the King asked.

The moth pulled out what looked to be a dream catcher with a handle from her cloak.

“I speak of the one who will come to wield this Dream Nail,” she replied. “From the moment you stepped in here I knew that the Wielder had arrived.”

The King looked shocked to see the Dream Nail. He and the Father were hoping to find a moth and a Dream Nail to aid them in their quest to stop the Infection, but the chances were very low. Now the two most important pieces were right before him. He could finally see an actual chance to end things once and for all.

“Then the Wielder is…”

The Seer handed the Dream Nail to Ghost, who had been looking at it with rapt attention. This was the thing that was sure to wake up their other father, they knew it.

“The Wielder is this little one here,” said the Seer. “I can feel it. A potential so great that they are sure to be the Wielder my tribe has long been waiting for.”

The King was startled at her revelation. “What?! No, Ghost is only a child! I should be the one taking responsibility for this! I cannot put my own child in danger!”

Ghost turned to him, the Dream Nail held tightly in their hands.

_ “Father...please, let me do this. I know I can do this. This is something I have to do. I can feel it.” _

The other children, who had been watching the exchange silently, piped up to support them.

_ “Father, it was Ghost who had the idea of coming to the Resting Grounds,”  _ Hallow said.  _ “They must be the one the Seer is talking about.” _

_ “We all came here to help you beat the bad light, and Ghost being the Wielder just makes it all the more better!”  _ Kin exclaimed.

_ “We can fight too,”  _ Leaf reminded him.  _ “You don’t have to worry about Ghost getting hurt!” _

“We’re gonna do dis togetha!” Hornet said, putting her hands on her hips. “So we should hewp Ghost in any way we can!”

The Seer giggled at the sight of the King looking conflicted.

“They are the children of the Pale King. I would not worry about them. They are capable.”

The King was quiet for a moment before he let out a deep sigh.

“Alright then. I will leave the Dream Nail with you, Ghost. But you have to promise to be careful, okay? Though you are capable of fighting, I still do not wish to see you get hurt.”

Ghost chirped happily and jumped into his lap, hugging him tightly.

_ “Will do my best! Gonna make sure we beat the bad light!” _

The King hugged back just as tightly, letting out another sigh. He had barely gotten his children from the Abyss and it already seemed like they were growing up.

Ghost pulled away from their father and held up the Dream Nail, charging Soul into it to reveal its ethereal blade. Their siblings let out ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ at the sight. It was rather entrancing.

_ “We have to go to the Royal Waterways now,”  _ they said.  _ “There is something there that I can use the Dream Nail on. I don’t know what it is, but it’s really, really important.” _

“The Waterways?” the King asked, looking reluctant to go to such a place.

_ “Yup!” _

The King sighed once more and the Seer gave him a smile.

“To think the Pale King himself would be getting dragged around by his own children.”

“Please, I have had enough of being dragged around…” he said, remembering when his counterpart dragged him to the Abyss.

The Seer let out a laugh.

It seems their next destination was the Royal Waterways.

The King only hoped they would stay away from Ogrim’s territory.


	34. Chapter 34

There were two ways to get into the Royal Waterways: one way was the entrance in the City of Tears and the other was the entrance in the Fungal Wastes. The King had decided it would be best to go through the Fungal Wastes rather than through the city. He didn’t want people looking at them strange if they entered the Waterways through there. Despite being the King he was in disguise so other bugs would think he was a kidnapper if they saw him go into the Waterways with a group of children. There was hardly anyone near the entrance in the Fungal Wastes so it was the better option.

Leaving through Queen’s Station, they made their way through the Wastes, the King doing his best to resist the pungent odor that was always present within the Wastes. He wondered how the Mantis tribe handled the smell. Perhaps they eliminated it within their territory? He looked down at the children to see how they were faring. The Vessels didn’t seem bothered by the smell, but Hornet looked to be on the verge of gagging with every step. Deepnest was near the Fungal Wastes but there wasn’t much opportunity for her to get used to the smell. The King took pity on her and picked her up, allowing her to bury her face in his robes to escape the smell.

“It should not take us long,” he said, rubbing her back. “We will be going through areas where the Mantis tribe patrols, but hopefully we will not run into any of them. If we do not, then we will be getting out of here faster. Though I cannot say that the smell in the Waterways will be any better. Hopefully the water will have washed off the worst of it.”

They hurried through the Wastes, passing a few bugs here and there but none of them paid much heed to them. Luckily, they also got past the areas the Mantis tribe patrols without running into any trouble from the warriors. It was tough for travellers to get past their territory without being heavily scrutinized, at least that’s what Ze’mer had told him the last time she had paid a visit to her Mantis lover. After a quick break at a bench, the entrance to the Waterways was in view.

“Here we are,” the King said, setting Hornet down. “Stand back, children.”

The King reached for a switch on the wall and flipped it, causing the door to slide open. The children peeked inside. It was rather dark and a damp smell emanated from inside. The King looked around, making sure no one was around before removing a layer of his disguise and letting out some of the light he emanated.

“No need for a lumafly lantern with me around,” he said, smiling at the children.

With a source of light ready, they ventured into the Royal Waterways. The sound of flowing water and water drops filled the air. That same feeling Ghost had felt when they felt themselves drawn to the Resting Grounds had once again made itself known in the Waterways. Whatever it was that awaited them here, it was sure to be something very important. Strangely enough, they also found themself dreading finding whatever it was that called to them here. Ghost wondered why that was. Was whatever awaited them scary?

Hallow put a hand on their shoulder.  _ “Are you okay, Ghost?” _

_ “Yeah, I’m fine. Feeling kinda...anxious? About what we’re gonna find,”  _ Ghost replied.

Hallow took their hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.  _ “Don’t worry. Whatever it is, we’ll face it together.” _

Ghost squeezed their hand back.  _ “Yeah, together.” _

The screeching of a Flukemon interrupted their moment and the King brandished his nail, slashing the charging fluke clean in half.

“Careful now! These things do not die in one hit!” he called to the children.

Just as he said, the top half of the fluke sprung to life and flew towards them. Hallow brandished their new Pure Nail and drove it right into the flying fluke, killing it instantly. A chirp of alarm caught their attention as Leaf was startled by the second half of the fluke coming to life and running towards them. Hornet let out a battle cry and threw her needle towards it, silk attached to the end, and speared the fluke. The King sheathed his nail and looked over his children for any injuries, thankfully finding none.

“Your combat skills are already this impressive,” he said. “The Vessels are already equipped to fight, but Hornet, you are going to catch up soon. Herrah and Hive Knight must be doing a good job training you.”

Hornet puffed out her chest in pride while her siblings congratulated her by chirping happily. They continued on their way, defeating any flukes and pilflips that came their way. They weren’t sure where they were headed to, but they explored the area until Ghost accidentally broke a wall while trying to fight off an enemy. It led to a fluke infested area which annoyed the King who harbored quite the dislike for the creatures.

“I had once chased down a criminal alongside Ogrim into the waterways,” he explained. “The number of flukes that got in the way of that was very annoying.”

Eventually the way opened up into a large, spacious area filled with junk and water. The King gathered his children into his arms and carefully flew over the junk-filled lake, landing on the other side. A great, golden cocoon laid there, chained up with a simple lock.

“What do we have here?” the King mused.

He had never seen the like of this cocoon before and he was sure he was knowledgeable on many different types of bugs. Something about it seemed familiar though, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

_ “Can we open it?”  _ Kin asked.

“We do not have a key, but it is a simple lock so a quick slash with a nail should do it. Stay behind me, in case something bad comes out,” the King said, taking out his nail.

The children hid behind him as he quickly slashed the lock in two, opening up the cocoon and causing a huge golden bug to fall out with a grunt. The bug seemed to be asleep and was largely undisturbed by the opening of its cocoon. The King carefully poked the bug with his nail but the bug remained asleep.

“I do not think I have ever seen this species before…”

Ghost peeked out from behind their father and started trotting over to the unknown bug. They tilted their head this way and that, trying to figure out how to wake the bug up before taking out the Dream Nail.

_ “Maybe wake them up with this?”  _ they suggested.

The King hummed. “Yes...the Dream Nail can tear through the fabric that separates dreams from the waking world. Just be careful, okay?”

Ghost nodded and charged the Dream Nail, swinging it towards the golden bug.

An explosion of essence filled the group’s vision until they all suddenly fell to the floor, asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's pretty much just exploration i feel. not much going on haha
> 
> so we finally get into godhome. i'll admit i'm having a bit of trouble on how to move things forward so the chapters might be delayed until i can figure out what to do. this whole story is unplanned and i've just been winging it the whole time so i need a bit of time to figure out how things are gonna go. i might be able to pump out another chapter tomorrow but we'll have to see. thank you for being patient with me! :D


	35. Chapter 35

_“Blasphemy! Rank blasphemy! Thou crawlers! Thou cringers! Thou smallest of the small! By what right dost thou trespass here, in this home of the Gods? Shrivel away and begone! Begone! The Pale Light has shown himself to us and yet wretched crawlers trespass! Begone!”_

The King groaned, slowly opening his eyes and sitting up.

“What...who just spoke…? The Pale Light...was that supposed to be me? And wretched crawlers...”

He rubbed his head and looked around for his children only to be greeted with an unfamiliar sight.

Tall pillars pierced the clouds and equally tall buildings could be seen in the distance, golden vines growing on them.

“What on earth...what is this place?”

The King stood up looking around in confusion when movement caught his eye. He turned and saw his children waking up and looking around confused.

“Whoa...what is dis pwace?” Hornet asked, her eyes wide in wonder.

_“I...I don’t know,”_ Ghost said, scratching their head in confusion. _“I used the Dream Nail and then poof! We’re suddenly here…”_

“We must be in that bug’s dream then,” the King concluded. “As I explained before, the Dream Nail is able to tear through the fabric that separates dreams from the waking world. It means we can enter anyone’s dream so long as we have the Dream Nail.”

_“Wow...that’s cool!”_ Leaf said, hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

_“But that means we should be careful,”_ Kin said. _“What if someone’s having a bad dream?”_

_“Yeah, be careful, Ghost. Wouldn’t want to end up in a nightmare, right?”_ Hallow said.

_“Don’t worry! Will be careful!”_ Ghost replied.

The King nodded in approval. “Very good, Ghost. When one has power, it is essential to know how to use that power responsibly.”

Ghost nodded in understanding and then pointed to the building in the distance.

_“Let’s go over there?”_

“Yes, we should see what is over there,” the King said. “Looks like we will have to get past these pillars. Come, it will be faster if I carried all of you over there.”

The King carried his children in his arms and flew over the pillars and landed right outside the building. There were more bugs similar to the one whose dream they were in idling outside. They stared at them silently, their gazes focused on the King. Something about their stares seemed reverent, the King thought. He put down the children, muttering to them to stay close as they headed inside. Once inside, they saw three similar-looking doors. The first one was labeled “Pantheon of the Master”.

“What is this now?” the King mused. “A pantheon...this bug must be a devout one then.”

_“Should we go inside?”_ Hallow asked.

_“Maybe?”_ Ghost said. _“Looks important. Maybe just take a peek?”_

“Yes, a quick look will probably be best in this case,” the King said. “Stay close, my children. This may be a dream, but it is always best to be careful.”

They approached the door and were startled when it opened itself before cautiously walking through.

_“Wretches! Thou hast ordained thine own destruction! Through sacred combat are We attuned to this Kingdom’s greatest beings. By entering this gate thou hast challenged the very Gods of this Kingdom! Dost thou consider thyself the equal of this pantheon, of its masters? Draw thy weapons then, fools of fools, and be damned for thy arrogance!”_

They were blinded by light for a moment and when it died down they found themselves in an arena much like what one would find in the Colosseum of Fools. Only this arena didn’t have an audience of cheering fools. In their place, an audience of golden colored bugs filled the seats, watching carefully. In the midst of their audience was the bug whose dream they were in, sitting upon a throne. The King had found himself in the midst of the audience right in the front row seats along with his children.

But Ghost wasn’t with them.

They were in the arena.

And the King could not hold his panic inside.

“Ghost!”

He tried to go over the wall separating the audience from the arena but a barrier stopped him, knocking him back into his seat. He tried to break it but no matter what he did the barrier wouldn’t give, and all he could do was watch in horror as a Vengefly King descended onto the arena, screeching loudly. Ghost, who had initially panicked at finding themself alone in the arena, straightened up and brandished their nail, determined.

Their father and siblings watched on worriedly as the fight started. While the Vessels had an inherent skill for combat, they haven’t been trained yet aside from Hallow. Ghost was hit a few times but eventually got the hang of the Vengefly King’s attack pattern and swiftly took care of it, making the King sigh in relief.

But it was only a brief sense of relief as a bell sounded and they found themselves blinded by light once more.

This time it was Hallow who stood in the arena, facing off against a Gruz Mother. The King found himself worrying again.

This pattern repeated throughout the entire pantheon.

Leaf facing off against a massive Moss Charger.

Kin facing off against a warrior who called himself Gorb.

Hornet facing off against a wretched Soul Warrior. The King really panicked during her battle, for even though she was training in combat, she still had a ways to go and Herrah will never forgive him if she got hurt. Especially when she was fighting one of those disgusting scholars.

Ghost was in the arena once again, facing off against an infected Mawlek.

And then the children found themselves together without their father, the bug whose dream they were in standing in front of them. She glared at them in anger.

“Why hast thou crept into this pantheon, o meagre ones? The noise of thine wriggling creates much discord, drowning out the godly resonances we attune Ourselves to! Dost thou mean to thwart our sacred goal? Dost envy drive thou to such madness? We pray that the Gods of this Kingdom punish thee, obliterate thee, utterly destroy thee!”

The children didn’t look happy about that, glaring back at her with Hornet puffing up her cheeks in anger. They didn’t understand much of what this bug had said, but they were sure that she was saying that they should lose their battles.

“Hey! You’re not being vewy nice!” Hornet said. “We’re here to hewp daddy and other daddy!”

_“Yeah, we’re gonna wake up other father and beat the bad light!”_ Ghost said.

_“And we’re not gonna stop until we do,”_ Hallow said, determined.

_“And there’s nothing you can do to stop us!”_ Leaf proclaimed.

_“We’re gonna keep going with all we are!”_ Kin exclaimed.

They left the hallway they were in and continued onwards. Light filled their vision and this time they had all stayed together, their father watching from the stands alone. Their opponents this time were a pair of brothers that Hallow recognized as Sly’s disciples: Oro and Mato. Having trained under the Nailsage, they were tough opponents even though they outnumbered the brothers four to two. All the while the King watched on with worry, hoping that his children would be alright. Throughout this entire pantheon he had resigned himself to his role as an onlooker, unable to do anything but give his children his full support.

After a long battle, his children finally emerged victorious, Oro and Mato bowing to them in good sportsmanship. The King was pleased to see that his children bowed back in return.

A bell rung and the group found themselves walking out of the pantheon, the oval above the door glowing, symbolizing that they had completed it.

The King hugged his children, relieved to see that they were okay after going through those battles.

“My children, I cannot tell you how proud I am of you for getting through that, but also how afraid I was for you,” he said.

_“We’re okay,”_ Ghost said, hugging back.

“Good to hear,” the King said. “And while you were battling I think I figured out who these bugs are.”

They looked at him curiously, tilting their heads.

“They are a tribe known as the Godseekers,” he explained. “As their name suggests, they are seekers of gods, roaming the land seeking gods to revere and worship. They are a very devout sort of group. I had heard of them during my travels as a Wyrm but I had never encountered them before.”

The King pat the top of Ghost’s head.

“To think one of them was here in Hallownest. You found something incredible here, Ghost. I have a feeling that the Godseeker will lead us to the solution to the Infection.”

Ghost looked happy at the praise, chirping in joy. Anything to help those they loved!

The King looked towards the remaining two doors.

“I am worried though, that you are the only ones fighting. But from what I have seen, you are all capable of getting through this. However, before continuing, I will teach you all I can to prepare you for the next battles.”

The children nodded, their eyes filled with resolve.

The Godseeker may have called the crawlers and cringers, but they would stop at nothing now that they had a lead on stopping the Infection.

The Royal Children Brigade was only getting started!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obviously i had to make some changes to the pantheon since false knight, hornet 1 and dung defender wouldn't be in it at this moment in time xD i decided to keep oro and mato in it though since i couldn't really think of anyone else to replace them. all the pantheons will have different bosses at this point in time xD


	36. Chapter 36

The group explored the building, Godhome it seemed to called from what they heard from the murmuring of other godseekers, before moving on to the second pantheon. There was a bench on the floor above the pantheons and a large hot spring on the floor below it. There was also a room called the Hall of Gods where there were statues of the bugs the children had fought in the first pantheon. Next door was a room where a Lifeblood Cocoon resided. Ghost broke it open but no Lifeblood Seeds came out, puzzling the King. Since the room was now empty the King decided to use it to show the children various spells they could utilize in their upcoming battles. Hallow really took to his soul nail attack, even utilizing it as a dive attack. The nails weren’t very big, but it was something. Kin also took to the nail dive attack very well. Ghost and Leaf were able to pull off the spells he had taught them, but Hornet seemed to be having difficulty utilizing the Soul for them. She could Focus but other than that the spells didn’t seem to be coming to her. Perhaps she took more after Herrah the King mused. The King would have liked to train them more, but time was of the essence so when the children got a good feel for the spells, they went to the next pantheon.

The pantheon they were about to enter was titled “Pantheon of the Sage”. The King tilted his head, humming in thought. The only sage he knew was the Great Nailsage Sly. Would he be a part of this pantheon? The King knelt down in front of the children, putting a hand on Ghost and Hallow’s shoulders.

“My children, please be careful. There is not much I can do except give you my support. I know you can do it.”

They nodded and turned to the door, walking through it. That blinding light filled their vision again and soon the children were separated from their father once more.

This time, Hallow was the one to face their first opponent, a warrior named Xero that both they and the King recognized as the one who had turned his nail against the King. Hallow wasted no time in defeating him.

Kin was the next fighter, fighting against a bug called the Crystal Guardian. The King recalled an incident caused by an Infected bug happening at the Crystal Peak and figured that it must have been this bug who had caused the incident.

Ghost appeared next and their opponent was none other than Soul Master.

The King could feel anger rising within him. After everything that son of a dirtcarver did, he was still here in the Godseeker’s dream. He would love to be down there and kill the bug himself all over again but unfortunately he couldn’t do anything about it as he watched Ghost fiercely fight Soul Master. It seemed that Ghost, too, was angry at Soul Master. He had the gall to hurt their siblings and innocent bugs after all. There was no way they were going to go easy on Soul Master.

Leaf was up next, fighting against a pair of Oblobbles. Unlike the fight with Soul Master, there was hardly any tension or anger during the battle. Leaf disposed of the Oblobbles easily.

Hornet appeared in the next arena, fighting against a bug who the King recognized as Marmu, the protector of his Root’s gardens.

After Hornet, Ghost appeared once again, and the King was surprised to see the Mantis Lords as their next opponent. Though perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised considering that the Lords were the best of the best of the Mantis Tribe. He was worried, however, since they were veteran warriors while Ghost had barely spent any time training so even with their inherent skill for combat, the battle was sure to be a hard one.

And the King’s worries were right on the money. Ghost was struggling quite a bit with the Mantis Lords, especially after they had defeated one and the remaining two decided to fight together. However, Ghost persevered through the fight, learning their attack patterns and anticipating their next moves, earning themself a hard fought victory.

The bell rung and Hallow was once again in the arena facing off against...Ghost?

Hallow and the King stared in confusion until Ghost’s head twisted in a way that it shouldn’t have and the creature revealed its true form.

A Nosk.

The King frowned.

Nosks were creatures that lived in Deepnest and used the faces of loved ones from their prey’s memories. He had recalled Herrah telling him a story where Hornet had followed one to its den, using him as its face. He clenched his hands into fists. It looks like he will have to cooperate with Herrah to keep the Nosks in check.

Hallow, who had been shaken by the Nosk’s appearance, quickly composed themself and fought perhaps a bit too fiercely. It seemed like they weren’t happy that the Nosk was using their twin’s face.

With the Nosk defeated, the bell rung once more and Kin found themself face to face with a giant fluke-ish creature that the King recognized as Flukemarm. Both he and Kin looked to be rather disgruntled at the appearance of Flukemarm and Kin unleashed spell after spell until it was defeated.

The bell rung and the children found themselves before the Godseeker once more.

“Ahh! Will the Gods not relieve Us of these troublesome specks? How it tests Us, seeing these worms raise their filthy weapons to the Gods! Thou hast luck beyond luck, o specks! The Gods of this pantheon, for purpose beyond Our understanding, allow you amongst them. Truly, the divine punishment they must be planning for you will be beyond all reckoning. Prepare thyself! Prepare thyself!”

_ “No way! We’re gonna win!”  _ Leaf declared.

_ “And there’s nothing you can do about it,”  _ Kin said, puffing out their chest.

“C’mon, guys! Wet’s ignore da meanie and beat da big boss!” Hornet said, dragging the twins along.

_ “Yeah, we’re gonna win and get stronger!”  _ the twins declared.

The children continued on and, just like in the first pantheon, they were all together while their father was alone in the stands.

The Great Nailsage, Sly, stood before them holding a nail far bigger than he was.

Hallow quickly explained to their siblings who he was and they all agreed to be careful. This was the man who was training Hallow in the art of the nail after all. Hallow was really strong so the one training them must be even stronger.

The battle started and the children aside from Hallow were startled by Sly’s speed, barely dodging out of the way of his giant nail. Though they outnumbered Sly, they still had a hard time fighting against him, even more than with Oro and Mato. It was no wonder that the King had trusted him with Hallow’s training.

It took a while, but the children had finally gotten Sly to his knees. However, instead of hearing the bell ring, Sly was back up on his feet and flying around through the arena in a dizzying pattern. Leaf and Kin were knocked back from his swing, hurtling right into Hornet who was behind them. Ghost and Hallow were barely able to dodge his next swing, but didn’t escape unscathed. It took everything they had to finally defeat him, using Hornet’s clever use of silk and Hallow’s knowledge of Sly’s moves.

At long last the bell rang, signaling their victory and they left the pantheon victorious.

The King could not be more proud of his children as he watched them celebrate their victory. He only wished that his counterpart was here to witness their children’s growth. They were getting close to saving him, he felt.

It would only be a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> morning glory skyes, i hope you don't mind me taking inspiration from your fic for the pantheons x'D


	37. Chapter 37

After a break in the hot springs, the children were raring to go again. The third pantheon was named “Pantheon of the Loyal” making the King hum in wonder. There were many loyal bugs in Hallownest and he wondered who they would see in this pantheon. They walked through the door and that light blinded them again.

_“Lowly brutes! Blindest of worms! Again thee challenge the Gods? What divine whim has granted thee the strength to endure their presence, where no others may stand? Fight then, struggle then, and keenly shall We listen for thine destruction!”_

Hornet was up first and was puzzled to see the arena have a similar look to the Hive before Hive Knight dropped down from above, raising his needle and letting out a battle cry. Hornet let out a happy yelp at the sight of the knight but then let out a startled one as he lunged right for her. His eyes said everything, _“Show me what you can do, Princess!”_

Hornet narrowed her eyes and let out her own battle cry to show the fruits of her training to her beloved Hive Knight.

It was a very entrancing battle that one couldn’t take their eyes off of. Though Hornet was only a child, she was a fierce little spider who fought with everything she had. Now was the time for her to beat her teacher!

“SHAW!”

With one last battle cry, she knocked Hive Knight off his feet and he slammed into the floor with her clever use of silk. After a moment of gathering himself, Hive Knight stood up and bowed to her, the bell ringing as he did so.

_“Well done, Princess.”_

Hornet puffed out her chest in pride just as the next battle was to start.

Hallow was up against a bug named Elder Hu, and unlike the first battle, it went by rather quickly and easily.

Kin came out next and was pitted against God Tamer, the champion of the Colosseum of Fools. Against a veteran of battle, it was a tough fight, especially with her mount added to the mix. The King nearly fainted when Kin almost got squashed by her mount, but the battle turned out fine.

Leaf was the next fighter, and the King was surprised to see Galien, a warrior that Hegemol and Ogrim had found promise in, as their opponent. As he observed the battle, he could see why. Galien had perfect control over his weapons and would no doubt be a fitting knight. Still, despite his power and control, Leaf managed to defeat him.

The bell rang and when the arena appeared again, it was turned into nothing but platforms over a pool of acid with Ghost standing atop one of those platforms. The acid bubbled and a giant jellyfish emerged from it. It was Uumuu, one of the creatures that Monomon had brought along with her when she came to Hallownest. It was recognized as the guardian of the Teacher’s Archives. Ghost had a rather frustrating time with this fight, unable to figure out why they couldn’t harm the jellyfish only to painfully find out the way by accidentally swinging at one of the Oomas that had started to spawn. Needless to say, Ghost hated the fight with every fiber of their being.

It was Hallow’s turn again, and their opponent was a big surprise to both them and the King.

Hegemol walked onto the arena, and though he looked intimidating there was also something gentle about him. At least until he brandished his mace and took an attack position, ready to fight. For being soft-spoken, he really did hit hard. Thankfully, Hallow had sparred with the Five Great Knights before so they at least weren’t going into the fight blind, not to mention they had won against Hegemol before. Now was the time to put all that training to good use!

After a fierce and tense battle, Hallow emerged victorious, bowing to Hegemol in respect and in thanks for the battle.

The bell rang and Godseeker was before them once more.

"Thou art painfully persistent! Why dost thou defile this pantheon with thine presence? Seek ye glory, o vain ones? Thou misunderstand Our purpose. Through ritual combat are We attuned to the voices of the Gods. Ever higher do they lead Us! Higher and higher and higher! Until through Godly focus do We attain communion with that great power sleeping in the Kingdom’s heart…”

_“We told you that we’re here to help our fathers,”_ Kin said, looking exasperated.

“Maybe it’s you who mis--mundor--misunderstands our purpose!” Hornet said, huffing.

Hallow put a hand on her head, calming her down. _“Now, now, Hornet.”_

_“Let’s just go,”_ Leaf said. _“We’re almost done I think.”_

_“Yeah, I can feel that we’re getting closer to saving other father!”_ Ghost said.

They left Godseeker behind and onwards to the last challenge.

They stepped into the arena and found themselves face to face with the King’s most loyal knight: Ogrim.

“I see…’Pantheon of the Loyal’ indeed…” the King muttered, a small smile on his face. He truly appreciated Ogrim’s fierce loyalty. He had rewarded him with a charm of his own and offered to give him anything else aside from the charm, but the dung beetle had refused, stating that he was content with what he had been given. The King didn’t think he would find someone like Ogrim anywhere else. Perhaps he should indulge his Root and help him and Isma get together. She had been telling him the numerous stories of Ogrim’s affections for her after all.

Ogrim let out a loud cry and the fight begins.

Thankfully, the arena is made of dirt and not dung, so Ogrim is flinging dirt balls and not dung balls into their faces. He hits pretty hard, but not as hard as Hegemol. Though he doesn’t do the same amount of damage, his attack pattern varies more than Hegemol’s. With Hallow’s help, the siblings manage to keep the amount of damage dealt to them low, but it didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt and didn’t tire them out. It wasn’t until Leaf managed to hit Ogrim while he was in the air curled up that they figured out that it would help them beat him if they managed to keep him in the air. The King had to admit that he found it rather funny to see Ogrim being passed around like a ball by the children.

Ghost struck the final blow and it was all over.

The bell rung and they walked out of the pantheon victorious.

The King wondered how many more there would be and he couldn’t help but feel a sinking feeling inside him that something might happen in the next one.


	38. Chapter 38

With the three pantheons available to them completed, a shut off section of Godhome has opened for them. While feeling as though they were finally getting somewhere, the King couldn’t quite shake off the feeling that something he won’t like will happen in this next pantheon.

“Children…”

He knelt down in front of the children, a little anxious but covering it up for them.

“I do not know what will happen in this next pantheon, but I want you all to be careful and try your best, okay?”

The children tilted their heads, looking at him curiously but nodded. Of course they were going to be careful and do their best! They have a father and a kingdom to save so they’re going to go all out!

After a quick training session and a break in the hot springs, they headed to the newly opened pantheon.

The King looked up to see its title and his eyes widened, that sinking feeling he had been getting since the last pantheon only got worse.

Pantheon of the King.

“I...this is…!”

The children were raring to go and paid no heed to the title, heading right on in to the pantheon.

“Children, wait--”

It was too late, the light flooded their vision and they were separated once more.

_“O Gods of Hallownest, graciously thee open the way to this greatest of Pantheons! Thy vvoices grow closer and thy resonance draws Us ever higher! Pray will We, Attune will We, until that spark of divine light shines from the deepest darkness!”_

Leaf was the first fighter, fighting against the Crystal Guardian again, only this time they seemed to be much more enraged than the first battle. Leaf decided that they definitely didn’t like the lasers nor the fact that they nearly impaled themself on the crystals surrounding the arena.

Kin came out next, pitted against a bug that had no eyes, which really creeped them out. It didn’t help that there were what seemed to be real ghosts helping her out. Kin would rather have their sibling Ghost than these ghosts.

Hornet appeared in the arena next. The arena was surrounded by greenery and what she recognized to be Delicate Flowers.

“Huh? Dese are da pretty flowers Ze’mer has!”

Just as she called her name, the Great Knight appeared before her, descending onto the arena from above.

_“Ah, le’mer. For love and duty che’ fights. For what does le’mer fight? Le’mer, woulds’t you, coulds’t you show che’ your resolve?”_

Ze’mer raised her nail, poised to fight. Hornet did the same with her needle.

“I’ww show you what I can do! For other daddy!”

The two charged towards each other, needle and nail clanging against each other. Ze’mer hit quite hard, having trained alongside not just the other knights but her mantis lover as well. Each swing of her nail was heavy, and Hornet thought that she might get squashed under it. Deciding that that didn’t sound very fun, she used her silk to fly around the arena, descending on Ze’mer in any opening she could get. It took a while, but Ze’mer finally conceded, bowing to Hornet in respect.

_“Le’mer has great resolve. Che’ knows that Herrah is very proud.”_

Hornet smiled and the bell rang, signaling the next fight.

Ghost was the next fighter and was surprised to find that Ogrim was once again their opponent.

_“Your Majesty, have faith in me!”_

Ogrim let out a battle cry and the fight began. Unlike when they first fought Ogrim, Ghost was now without their siblings to help them in the battle. However, they knew his attack patterns so it was much easier dodging his attacks and timing their own. They still got a face full of dirt, however. Luckily, it wasn’t dung.

With one last swing, Ogrim was down.

_“You’re strong, little one! Your noble bearing reminds me of our dear King. Perhaps I should ask him to make you a knight! What jolly adventures we will have!”_

The bell rang and Hallow was next.

Like Ghost, they were equally surprised to see Hegemol once more. They wondered if the rest of the knights were going to make an appearance.

_“Though I am not a fan of fighting, I do so in order to have the strength to protect those I hold dear. Do you have that strength, little one?”_

Hallow drew their nail, clenching their hand around its handle.

All they wanted was to protect their family and their home. They trained every day for that very purpose, from when they were still the Pure Vessel all the way up until now.

They looked up at Hegemol and nodded, lunging forward to prove their strength to him.

He still hit just as hard as he did the last time they fought him, but unlike their last fight, Hallow was fighting even harder than before. They wanted to prove to Hegemol that they did have the strength to protect what they held dear.

And prove it they did. They jumped up and slammed their nail down on Hegemol, ending the battle.

_“Hoho! Truly, you are mightier than even myself. I have no doubt that you will be able to protect your loved ones.”_

Once more, the bell rang and the next fight was about to start.

It was Hornet’s turn again and she turned to find a warrior who called himself Markoth.

It seems the Seer isn’t the only moth left alive, for Markoth was a moth as well.

For a moth, he hit hard and his shield was definitely something that annoyed Hornet to no end. It was a wonder that Markoth didn’t end up with a needle between his eyes for all the times he ran into her with his shield.

It was Leaf’s turn again and they found themself face to face with another Great Knight.

Isma.

_“Strength is not everything that makes a knight. One must be kind in order to truly call themselves a knight. I wonder, do you have the makings of a knight, little one?”_

Leaf tilted their head. Of course they were kind! It wasn’t nice to be mean to others, but when others are mean to them or their family, then they had to protect them. They drew their nail and made the first move.

Isma was very graceful in battle, countering Leaf’s attacks almost as if she were dancing with them. That gracefulness was accompanied by a strength that rivaled or even exceeded Ogrim’s.

The two danced together, moving to the tune of battle until Leaf knocked Isma off her feet, causing her to fall to the ground. Isma looked up to see the point of Leaf’s nail, but they didn’t strike her. Instead they sheathed their nail and helped her up, having felt that the battle was over and that there was no need to fight anymore. Isma let out a small laugh.

_“I see. You really do have a kind heart, don’t you little one? That kindness will carry you a long way.”_

The bell rang.

Kin appeared in the arena and they only had one second to dodge a nail that came flying at them. Startled, they drew their nail and whipped around, finding the fiercest of the Great Knights as their opponent.

Dryya.

_“In order to protect the Queen, I will stop any enemies that approach. You look like you have no such devotion like I do. If that is so, then this fight will be nothing worth talking about.”_

Her statement made Kin twitch in annoyance. How would she know if they didn’t have any devotion? They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t devoted to saving their father from another timeline and their kingdom. They flew into the battle, fighting fiercely against Fierce Dryya herself.

Compared to Leaf and Isma’s graceful battle, the battle between Kin and Dryya was passionate. Each swing of their nails was heavy and held the weight of their compassion behind them.

In the end, Kin’s passion overcame Dryya’s own.

_“Hmph! So you do carry such a devotion within you. I like that! You’re a fierce one, just like me!”_

She and Kin shared a handshake before the bell rang and light flooded their vision.

At long last, they found themselves before Godseeker, meaning that the last battle was just up ahead.

“Show reverence, o meagre ones. Show fear! Thou approacheth a great and wise God! Though his large and glorious body was left behind, the glory of his enlightenment endures, ruler of this pantheon. His endless power shall attune Us to that blazing light! Meagre ones, dost thou imagine thineself made in his image? Thou assume a similar shape, and the deep echo within thee seems familiar… Ahh! What thoughts are these? Thou sow blasphemies in Our mind, wretches! Begone! We pray that the God of pale light silence thee forever!”

The children stared at Godseeker, upset at her words but not saying anything back to her. No matter what they said, it’d just go right over her head so they chose not to say anything and just move on forward.

 _“I hope father is okay…”_ Hallow said. _“He must be worried watching us fight.”_

 _“I’m sure he’s fine,”_ Kin said. _“He’s been cheering us on this whole time after all!”_

Leaf put a hand on their mask, chirping thoughtfully.

_“Speaking of father...I don’t think I saw him in the stands.”_

Ghost tilted their head, thinking before nodding. _“Yeah...come to think of it, I don’t think I saw him either.”_

“Maybe you were too busy fighting?” Hornet said. “I don’t think I saw him either. I was too busy twying to beat up dat mean moth!”

The siblings shared a look. Perhaps they were looking into it too much.

They continued on and light flooded their vision.

When it faded, they found themselves surrounded by white and only Godseeker as the audience.

The arena, Hallow noticed, looked very much like the throne room in the White Palace.

The siblings looked around, confused as to why the arena looked so much like the palace only to find out why when they spotted the figure ahead of them.

The King had his back turned to them, holding his nail with both hands and its point to the floor.

When the children had entered the pantheon, instead of finding himself in the stands, he found himself here in this arena alone, waiting.

Waiting for his children to reach him.

“....I had a bad feeling when I saw the name of this pantheon,” he said quietly. “And when I found myself here I knew what would happen if you reached the end.”

He tightened his hold on his nail, shaking slightly.

“...I am sorry, my children. I truly wish that this did not need to happen, but I have no choice.”

The King’s wings flared out and he turned around, brandishing his nail.

“Prove to me that you are worthy of saving Hallownest!”

The children looked confused and on the verge of tears. They were not expecting this fight at all. They had to fight their father? They couldn’t do that! They were supposed to be saving Hallownest together!

“W-Wait, daddy--”

_“Hornet, look out!”_

Hornet let out a yelp as Hallow pulled her out of the way of a line of soul nails. Their other siblings let out alarmed chirps, diving out of the way.

 _“Wait, we have to fight father?!”_ Ghost cried. _“There’s no way we can do that!”_

 _“I-I don’t want to hurt father!”_ Leaf said, already crying. _“We can’t fight him!”_

 _“B-But it looks like we have to!”_ Kin said, upset.

“What’s wrong? Fight back! Otherwise, I will end this fight for you!”

The King rushed forward, swinging his nail in a wide arc and knocking the children back. With speed he had not shown the children before, he moved around the arena quickly, swinging his nail and giving no time for them to recover. It was only when he jumped back and flew up into the air that they were finally allowed to regroup. They looked up at their father, who looked back down at them with a blank face.

“To save Hallownest…”

He raised his nail, summoning a line of soul nails.

“No cost too great.”

The King brought his nail down, and the soul nails rained upon the children.

There was an explosion of Essence and then the children found themselves on the floor before the Pantheon of the King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was all over the place when writing this and i have no idea if this turned out good or not. i had no idea how to characterize the five great knights aside from ogrim. also, how the heck do you write ze'mer talking? that was so hard to do x'D fights are also hard to write so i'm sorry if they got boring x'D


	39. Chapter 39

The children groaned as they slowly sat up, rubbing their heads and checking on each other.

_“Is everyone alright?”_ Ghost asked, rubbing their head.

_“I’m okay…”_ answered Hallow.

_“My head kinda hurts, but I’m fine…”_ Leaf said.

_“Yeah, same here,”_ Kin said, letting out a small chirp.

“My head hurts…” Hornet whimpered.

Ghost looked up at the door to the Pantheon of the King.

_“Pantheon of the King...no wonder father was at the end…”_

Hallow picked up Hornet, rubbing her head soothingly.

_“Why don’t we go to the hot springs first?”_ they suggested. _“Talk about things there.”_

Ghost nodded and the group headed to the hot springs on the lower floor.

They soaked in the warm, milky water, the healing properties of the spring healing their aching heads and bodies. They all let out a sigh of relief as their exhaustion melted away.

_“....Do we really have to fight father?”_ Leaf asked after a moment of silence.

_“It looks like it,”_ Kin said.

“But...I don’ wanna fight daddy…” said Hornet. “I thought we were gonna pwotect Hawwonest togetha…”

_“But it looks like we have no choice,”_ Ghost said, rubbing her back.

Hallow put their hands in their lap, looking down.

_“To think we have to fight father…”_

Perhaps they should have seen it coming. They fought the Five Great Knights in the same pantheon, so it wouldn’t be strange to see the one who rules over them as the pantheon’s ruler. Still, having to fight their father wasn’t something none of the children were prepared for nor did they ever think of it. Not to mention it was the first time they lost, and very swiftly at that. Combining the fact that they had to fight their father and the fact that they lost so quickly, their morale would certainly be low.

Leaf idly played with the water. _“Father is strong…”_

_“Of course he is,”_ Hallow said. _“He’s the king of Hallownest, there’s no way he isn’t strong.”_

_“...He’s amazing,”_ Ghost said, looking towards the upper floor. _“To be that strong...I think that’s amazing…!”_

Their siblings looked up at them as they stood up and got out of the hot springs.

_“I feel really bad that we lost, but...he’s really just that strong. He’s strong but...I want to fight him again. It’s weird.”_

Their siblings shared a glance.

It _was_ amazing how strong and skilled their father was. When they were rescued from Soul Master, they had only gotten a small glimpse of their father’s strength. Now coming face to face with him in the most unexpected place, they were able to see his true strength. They were bummed out from their loss, but seeing their father fight…

It gave them the feeling of wanting to beat him.

To win.

To succeed.

And most of all…

To overcome.

“...I wanna beat him!” Hornet declared, standing up. “I’m gonna beat him and den I’ww show him how shtrong I am!”

_“...You’re right, Hornet!”_ Kin said, jumping up. _“We’ll show him that we can beat him! We’ll show him that we’re stronger than him!”_

_“You were onto something, Ghost,”_ Leaf said. _“And now we get what you’re feeling!”_

Hallow stood up and held Ghost’s hand.

_“We may have lost, but that just means we have to try again. Isn’t that right?”_

Ghost nodded, raising up their joined hands into the air.

_“That’s right! We’re gonna fight and we’re gonna win!”_

The children cheered, no longer weighed down by the fact that they had to fight their father. All they have to do is show him they’re stronger than him, and they’re going to prove that! No matter what, they’ll show him their strength.

With their spirits lifted, they left the hot springs and ran for the Pantheon of the King, rushing into battle once more.

Unlike the first time, they came out in a different order, fighting different enemies. However, their second run ended when Kin made a misstep and got hit by Isma’s nail. Their siblings didn’t blame them, only cheering them up. Their third run ended when Hornet miscalculated her jump and jumped right into Hegemol’s mace. In their fourth run, Leaf lost to Ze’mer. In the fifth, Hallow lost to Ogrim. In the sixth, Ghost lost to Dryya.

At long last, in their seventh run, Hallow struck down Dryya and they made it back to Godseeker’s hallway. She glared at them, but they pressed onward, driven by their determination to defeat the King.

Light flooded their vision and they found themselves in the throne room once more, with the King turned away from them like before.

“So...you have returned.”

The King flared his wings and turned around, but what he was going to say next faded away as he saw the look in their eyes.

Bright and determined, full of resolve.

_We will win._

“......”

The King closed his eyes, a small smile on his face.

“I see.”

He brandished his nail, the pale ore running through it gleaming in the light of the arena.

“I will take you on with everything that I am. Show me that you have the strength to surpass me!”

With those words, the battle started.

The children jumped away from each other, splitting up in order to cover more ground.

“Take dis!”

Hornet threw her needle towards the King, but he quickly dodged it. Hornet smiled and started to pull on the silk that was attached to the end of her needle, swiftly bringing it back towards the King.

“Hoh, clever. But too easy!”

The King sidestepped the incoming needle and hit it, causing it to fly off course and bringing Hornet with it as she still held onto the silk.

Kin took the opportunity to rush forth, jumping up and swinging their nail down. The King parried them, knocking them away but Leaf appeared from behind them. The King’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and sidestepped their attack only to be hit by another surprise attack from Hallow and Ghost who used soul nails and a spell respectively.

“Kh! They managed to hit me…?!”

“Catch me, daddy!”

“Wha--?!”

Hornet came flying down from above, swinging on her silk and crashing right into the King’s face, causing him to stumble. Kin felt themself shiver as they remembered their first encounter with Hornet.

With the King distracted, the Vessels took the chance to land as many hits as on him they could. In another second, the King pulled Hornet off his face and flung her towards her siblings. Hallow caught her and was thrown back by the momentum. The King pushed back the other children with his nail and put some distance between him and them.

“Hah...children really do come up with the most interesting ideas.”

He raised a hand and soul nails materialized behind him.

“I wonder how you will dodge this then!”

The soul nails rained upon the children, but this time they were prepared. Unlike the first time, they were no longer frozen by shock and were able to weave through the rain of soul nails, though they didn’t quite escape it unscathed. Hallow responded by summoning their own soul nails and throwing them at the King, who dodged and knocked them away, but it gave them time to heal up their injuries by Focusing.

“Ugh...daddy is so shtrong…” Hornet said, panting.

_“We need to really knock him down,”_ Leaf said.

_“Yeah, but how?”_ Kin asked.

_“It’d be great to have a really big attack but I don’t know how we’d pull that off…”_ Hallow said, keeping up the rain of soul nails.

Ghost looked around for anything that would give them some sort of idea, until they remembered Hornet crashing into the King.

_“...What if…”_

The King was too busy fending off the rain of soul nails but by the time the attack stopped, the children were already in place.

Hallow, Hornet, Leaf and Kin swung down from where Hornet had set up her silk, propelling themselves forward using the shockwave of a spell and by the time the King had noticed them they crashed right into him, knocking him off his feet.

“EUGH?!”

They quickly scrambled off him, purposely stepping over his face to keep him distracted. When they cleared, the King looked up and found Ghost in the air right above him, soul gathering in their hand. 

“Ghost--?!”

In the next second they came crashing down for a void powered Desolate Dive right on tip of him.

The King let out a strangled cry, his eyes widening.

_“Guh…! R-Really...children do come up with...the most absurd ideas...haha…it is...my loss...gah...”_

“Truly...they have...surpassed me...urgh…”

The King went limp.

The bell rang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fight scenes are hard x'D i tried my best to visualize how the fight would go and i really had no idea how they were going to win or how to make the king look cool. so i tried to go with something like a wrecking ball only the baby brigade was the ball and then have ghost just come crashing down on him x'D im sorry if it doesn't really make much sense


	40. Chapter 40

It was dark.

It was dark and Ghost was floating in it, but they found the darkness to be comfortable rather than terrifying.

Being a bug born of void, the darkness was like home.

This darkness, however, not only felt like home it felt familiar somehow. Not like the void of the Abyss, but something else.

_ “Hello, me from another timeline.” _

Ghost looked around.

_ “What…?” _

_ “I’m here to give you something very important. You’re going to need it.” _

_ “What do you mean…?” _

_ “It’s something that will help you.” _

Eight white, glowing eyes appeared in front of Ghost and suddenly they felt something stir in their void.

It was a strange tingling sensation but not at all unpleasant.

All at once they could feel as though they were one with the void. Though they were always one with the void, this feeling truly felt as if they unified the void.

Ghost felt a gentle hand cup their entire body.

_ “You’re doing much better than I did. I’m sure that you will reach a happier ending. You, Hollow, Hornet, Father, Mother, the Dreamers…” _

The bright eyes closed and Ghost felt themself start drifting.

_ “I wish you all the happiness you deserve, Ghost of Hallownest.” _

Within Ghost, the Void Heart pulsed gently.

\--

“...!”

“....st!”

“Ghost!”

Ghost’s eyes flew open, startling awake and seeing their father and their siblings looking down at them worryingly. The King held them in his arms, a hand on their cheek.

“Ghost! Thank goodness! You were taking so long to wake up that I was worried I hurt you very badly…”

The King looked guilty as he said that. He truly didn’t want to fight his children but he didn’t have a choice. Once he entered the pantheon he found himself in the throne room arena and couldn’t leave. He was the pantheon’s ruler and had to fight his children until they defeated him. Though he didn’t want to fight them he was very proud that they managed to defeat him. They’ve become so strong in such a short time, and what resolve they showed him! He couldn’t be more proud of them.

_ “Are you okay?”  _ Hallow asked them, holding their hand.

_ “Yeah...I’m okay,”  _ Ghost replied.  _ “Not hurt.” _

They stood up and immediately noticed that there was something new inside them. Something gently pulsing within their void. They put a hand over their chest, the gentle pulses coming from it.

_ The Void Heart,  _ their mind whispered.  _ Unify the void… _

“Ghost?”

Hornet tapped their arm, tilting her head curiously. Ghost pat her head.

_ “I’m fine. Don’t worry.” _

“Okay!”

The children lined up before the King, and they looked up at him for a moment before puffing out their chests proudly and putting their hands on their hips.

_ “We beat father!”  _ Ghost exclaimed.

_ “Even though we lost a lot we won!”  _ Hallow said.

_ “Yeah, we’re stronger than father!”  _ Leaf proclaimed.

_ “We really are! We really beat him!”  _ Kin said.

“Hehe, wait ‘til mommy hears about dis!” Hornet said.

Herrah would gloat about it for days the King was sure of that. He only hoped he could endure it. He knelt down before the children.

“Children...words cannot express how proud of you I am right now,” he said. “I am certain that you can withstand anything that comes your way. You have truly become strong. Well done, my children.”

The King brought them into a hug and they hugged back, clearly proud of their accomplishment.

Suddenly, the floor shook and the King tightened his hold on his children until it stopped.

“That...it felt like it came from above us,” he said, looking up. “Come, let us see what happened.”

They made their way up, the King flying around before finding an open room where there was once none. He carried the children up and entered, finding another hot spring and another opening leading upwards. They flew up and found a strange structure with a black pillar in its center. The King looked up at the plaque above the structure.

“Pantheon of Hallownest.”

\--

Lurien dipped a cloth into a bowl of ice water, wringing out the excess water before placing it on the Father’s forehead.

“Your Majesty…”

The door to the room opened, revealing Monomon.

“How is he?” she asked.

Lurien sighed, looking at the Father.

“He’s still hot to the touch, and keeps groaning in pain.”

“I see…”

Monomon walked inside, setting some medicine on the nightstand. She opened the bottle and poured some of the liquid into a spoon. One of her tentacles carefully lifted the Father up and she gently tipped the spoon, pouring the medicine into his mouth.

“This should keep that fever down for now. Hopefully it won’t be long before he wakes.”

“Indeed.”

The two Dreamers watched over the Father with worried faces. Lurien had filled in Monomon and Herrah on the situation and the two came over to help keep watch over the Father until the King’s return. In the meantime, the White Lady had taken over his duties and kept servants away from their chamber. She came by as much as she could to care for her Wyrm, but there was a lot to do while the King was away.

_ “I’m ever so grateful for all of your help. He will wake up soon, I know it.” _

They knew how worried their queen was, but she truly stood strong in these tough times.

“How’s the Pale King doing?”

The two looked to see Herrah coming in, a blanket in her arms.

“Marginally better,” Monomon replied. “What’s that?”

“A blanket woven by the Weavers,” Herrah said, switching the sheets out. “It’s enchanted with one of their spells to keep one cool. It should help with the fever.”

Once the blanket was on, the Father let out a small sigh of relief.

“To think that the Radiance has him imprisoned in a dream…” Herrah said. “Certainly not something I expected.”

“She must have taken notice that he was from another timeline and took action,” Monomon speculated.

“I wish we could do something to help,” Lurien said, clenching his fists. “We’re right here by his side, but we can’t enter his dream.”

“Don’t worry, Lurien,” Monomon reassured him. “Our king will definitely save him.”

Herrah huffed. “I have to agree with her. Ever since his arrival, the Pale King has changed, and even the little confidence I had in him is starting to grow. I do wish he would return Hornet soon, though.”

Monomon let out a small laugh at her remark while Lurien sighed. They were interrupted, however, when the Father let out a scream and they all snapped to attention.

“Wyrm/My king!”

\--

The Father hung limply from his restraints, nails embedded in various parts of his body and his wings left in tatters.

“After all this you’re still trying to stay strong? How annoyingly impressive, though it just means I get to play with you a bit more,” the Radiance huffed, amused and annoyed.

The Father weakly lifted his head, breathing heavily.

“I...hah, hah...I know that they will...come…”

The Radiance hummed, gazing into the distance.

“Yes, yes, I can feel them getting closer. I have to admit, I’m surprised they’re getting this far through the Godseeker’s dream, but I suppose it also means I can just obliterate them myself.”

She tilted his chin up, and he could see that sick delight in her eyes.

“How wonderful that would be! To destroy this timeline’s Pale King and his children right in front of you. And then you’ll follow them, which means your timeline will no longer have a Pale King in the way. With you and this timeline’s Pale King gone, everyone will belong to me and worship me alone! Dreams are such wonderful things~!”

The Father glared at her, managing to pull away from her with what little strength he had left.

“As if you...would be able to do...such a thing! You will not win! My counterpart and children...they will not let you continue to hurt people any longer!”

Despite the pain, the Father straightened up as much as he could, his glare still strong as ever.

“You may be the goddess of dreams, but dreams from you are nothing but true nightmares! Grimm may be the god of nightmares, but even his nightmares are nothing compared to your dreams! People deserve to be able to think for themselves and make their own choices!”

_ That _ made the Radiance shake with rage, and she summoned an especially sharp nail to run him clean through.

The Father’s eyes widened for a moment and he let out a loud scream, something she had been waiting for the whole time she was torturing him.

“Do  _ not _ compare my dreams to the nightmares of my no-good brother!” she hissed. “I can easily get rid of you just as I easily got rid of him. This world is meant to worship me and me alone, and I will make sure of that. Once the Pale King of this time comes here with his children, I will personally make sure you see them die right before your eyes.”

Hallownest  _ will _ be bathed in her light, just as it was always meant to be.

No nightmares or pale light will be able to outshine her.

Nothing will.


	41. Chapter 41

The King and his children looked up at the black pillar.

“Pantheon of Hallownest…”

The King hummed, crossing his arms.

“I am going to assume that this means you children are going to fight everyone...including me.”

The children looked at each other a little nervously. Everyone? Did that mean every bug they faced in the previous pantheon? All at once? That would be a tough thing to do, especially when the Pantheon of the King gave them so much trouble. They got through the first three pantheons just fine, but they were sure to find trouble should they find themselves fighting those who resided in the Pantheon of the King.

_ “I’m a little scared…” _ Hallow admitted.

“Yeah...dat’s pwetty scawy…” Hornet said, clinging onto Hallow’s cloak.

_ “Gonna be fine...right?”  _ Leaf asked.

_ “I hope so…”  _ Kin said, putting a hand on Leaf’s head.

Ghost chirped, putting a hand over their chest and feeling the Void Heart gently pulsing within.

If this pantheon really meant they would have to face every bug they have faced before, it was sure to be a mountainous task. They could feel anxiety fill their void at the thought, dreading what would happen if they failed midway. No doubt they would have to traverse the whole pantheon again, just like they did in the Pantheon of the King, but this one would be much harsher than even that. Still, it was something that had to be done. Something awaited them at the pantheon’s end and they had to get there no matter what. Ghost wasn’t sure what it was, but the thought of it helped them to push aside their anxiety.

_ “It’s okay. We’ll be fine.” _

The King brought his children into his arms, hugging them reassuringly.

“It is just as Ghost said, you will be fine. It will be hard, but I am sure you are capable of getting through this. And I am sure that you will no doubt overcome me once more, haha.”

He let go and they approached the black pillar. The children held each other’s hands while the King had a hand on the twins’ heads.

_ Ascend? _

Ghost looked at their siblings and their father, who looked back.

Ghost looked back at the black pillar

_ “Yes.” _

A bright light flooded their vision and their trial began.

And what a trial it was.

Compared to before, the battles had gotten even harder with new obstacles filling the arena or their opponents being more stronger. The children had never felt more tired or tense in their entire lives, even when they were all taking turns fighting each battle. Their first run failed spectacularly when Ghost accidentally fell between the pillars while getting hit by a nail during Gorb’s battle. A second run ended with Hallow getting walloped by the Mantis lords when they were expecting the battle to turn out the way it did before. They sure got a wake up call when all three lords joined the battle in the second half.

Again and again the children challenged the Pantheon of Hallownest. At one point they got very close to the King but Hornet had been defeated by Isma. It was very frustrating being so close yet so far and the children were on the verge of giving up.

Leaf flopped onto the floor with a miserable chirp.

_ “N-No more...I can’t do this…” _

Kin let out a whining chirp.

_ “This is too much…” _

Hornet was flailing around on the floor in the midst of a tantrum.

“I hate dis, it’s not fair! Why is it so much harder now?! I don’t wike Isma anymore! She’s a meanie!”

Hallow was on all fours with Ghost patting their shoulder in what they hoped was reassurance.

_ “Why did the whole floor disappear….?” _

_ “W-We can’t give up!”  _ Ghost declared.  _ “Other father needs our help! We can’t stop now!” _

_ “Yeah, but how’re we gonna get through this in one piece?”  _ Kin asked tiredly.

_ “We just have to manage it somehow! We’ve gotten this far!” _

Ghost walked over to Hornet, trying to calm her down.

_ “We have to do this, no matter what! If we stop now…” _

If they gave up here, then something might happen to the Father, to Hallownest, to their home.

They all looked at each other, understanding the unsaid words. However frustrated they were, they couldn’t afford to stop. Whatever awaited them at the end of the pantheon was something they were all sure would help them save their father’s counterpart and their home from the Infection. They had gotten close, so it wasn’t like they couldn’t make it all the way.

“....Hmph! I’m gonna beat up everyone!” Hornet declared. “I’m so mad dat I’m gonna beat up everyone in my way! We’re gonna win!”

Lead stood up, pumping up their little fist.

_ “Right! We can’t stop now! Not after getting so close!” _

Hallow shook off the cloud of depression floating over them, determination taking over.

_ “Yes, we just gotta do it no matter how many tries it takes to get to the end!” _

The children let out their battle cries and charged right into the Pantheon of Hallownest. With the combined power of their resolve, determination and sheer willpower, they charged right through their battles and made it to the room before the King’s fight. It helped that they were quite frustrated at the pantheon’s difficulty, making their anger and frustration a good energy boost. They flopped onto the floor, exhausted but determined to keep going.

Godseeker was in the room but she paid no heed to them. Her attention was solely on the pale light that filled the room.

“The glow of the God that sat this throne...it lays heavy upon this kingdom. That power alone was beacon enough to draw Us to Hallownest. How bright it is to any mortal bug who stands before it!”

Leaf watched her exhaustedly.  _ “Is she talking about father?” _

Kin rolled over.  _ “Probably. The light in this room feels just like father’s.” _

_ “It actually feels nice being in it even though father’s not here,”  _ Ghost noted. 

“She’s a weirdo,” Hornet commented, watching Godseeker spill out neverending praises.

_ “That’s not nice to say but...it’s true,”  _ Hallow said, nodding in agreement.

Ghost sat up and looked back at their siblings.

_ “Let’s go? Father’s just past here.” _

They nodded and got up, following Ghost out of the room.

Just one more.

Just one more battle and they’ll find what’s waiting for them at the end of the Pantheon of Hallownest.

The Void Heart pulsed in anticipation within Ghost’s chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm...i don't know if i like this chapter or not. i tried my best to continue on from the last chapter and i think it's ok but part of me thinks the opposite. maybe it's because i feel like i can't really write something good for the pantheons since they're boss rushes and all. i'd say i might edit it later but i'm pretty sure that might not happen haha x'D i probably should have planned out this entire story


	42. Chapter 42

The throne room arena greeted the children once more, with the King’s back to them.

“My children, I am proud of how far you have come. It puts all of my efforts to shame. Your deeds shine brighter than anything I have accomplished in my life.”

The King’s wings flared out and he turned to them.

“It has shown me that my thinking was far too narrow. With your and my counterpart’s help, I can now see that there are other ways of dealing with things. That if there are no other paths, all I have to do is create my own.”

He gave them a gentle smile.

“You all are truly strong.”

The King brandished his nail and the children did the same with their own weapons.

“Now come! Let us end things once and for all!”

They clashed, the sounds of metal on metal ringing through the arena. Sometimes there would be the whizz of silk as Hornet swung around. Other times there would be chirps echoing as the Vessels communicated to each other in their own language. There would be the buzz of wings as the King flew around, soul nails raining on the arena.

Each side fought fiercely, eager to show the other what they were capable of.

The King wished to show them his strength and goading them into surpassing him.

The children wished to prove their strength, that they were prepared for whatever awaited them at the pantheon’s end.

_“Now!”_

Ghost rushed forward, taking advantage of an opening. Their nail swung in a wide arc as they slashed at the King, causing him to let out a yelp and fall to his knees at the unexpected attack.

The other children surrounded him, weapons ready in case he would fight back, but the King stayed where he was. He looked up, giving them a smile even through his pained state.

“Marvelous...truly, you all have surpassed me.”

Suddenly, light shined down onto the arena, different from the pale light that filled the room. The group looked up at it, the children in confusion and the King in realization.

“That light…!”

A scream rang through the arena and soon that same light flooded their vision. When it cleared the children and the King found themselves in another arena filled with clouds and white feathers gently floating down from above. However, it wasn’t those things that the King noticed.

What caught his attention was the sun in the sky and a figure tied to pillars nearby. Even from a distance he could recognize the dim glow that separated itself from the sun’s light. The King’s breath caught in his throat as he could see the state the figure was in.

It was his counterpart.

His robes were torn, stained with blue blood. His wings were left in a tattered state, and looked like they would never take flight again. For a very long second the King feared that he was dead until a slight movement from the Father proved him wrong. The two caught each other’s gaze and the King clenched his fists.

“I knew...you would come…”

“Do not worry, my dear friend. We will save you.”

Beside him, the children were frozen to their spots, tears spilling from their eyes at the sight of their father’s counterpart. Hallow covered Hornet’s eyes, but she had already seen the sight and she was devastated.

“O-Other daddy….!”

_“This is horrible…”_ Leaf whispered in the void language, shaking.

Kin held them to themself. _“Did...did the bad light do that…?”_

_“That’s...that’s so cruel…! Why did the bad light do that?!”_ Hallow cried as they wrapped their free arm around Ghost’s shoulders.

Ghost had a hand Hallow’s and the other on their chest. The Void Heart was pulsing wildly both at being in this arena and at the sight of their father’s counterpart.

_It’s time,_ whispered the Void Heart. _It’s time, it’s time, how dare she hurt other father, save other father, save Hallownest, consume the light--_

The Lord of Shades whispered.

_“Reach for your happy ending, Ghost of Hallownest.”_

The sun in the sky unfurled her wings, the arena shook and soon the Absolute Radiance shined her light on them with a vengeance, screaming with a blazing fury. The King and Ghost’s siblings immediately drew their weapons, prepared to face the furious goddess.

Ghost slowly looked up at the Radiance.

How dare she hurt their father? How dare she hurt their father’s counterpart? How dare she hurt their mother? How dare she push their father to the brink? How dare she hurt the kingdom they called home? How dare she hurt the bugs who called Hallownest home?

How dare she destroy others’ happiness?

_“Your happiness is right before you, Ghost! Let your time be free of that blazing light before it crumbles like mine did!”_

The Void Heart pulsed even faster.

Ghost drew their nail, glaring up at the Goddess of Dreams and Light with a fury of their own.

They will protect everything and everyone they held dear.

No blazing light will hurt anything and anyone anymore!

**_“Reach out and_ ** _Embrace the Void!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what even is this chapter? i hope it's good x'D anyways, hey look. the ending i will never get because pantheon of hallownest is impossible for me :)
> 
> abs rad! how does one even write the fight scene for abs rad...i haven't even gotten to her. i did, however, get to regular radiance! and i beat her! got that dream no more ending and 102% completion! i finally beat hollow knight x'D the embrace the void ending is just too hard for me to get so i had to go for dream no more


	43. Chapter 43

The Radiance and the King made eye contact and the former glared at the latter in disgust.

“Hmph, so you actually made it here, you lowly worm. Well, it doesn’t matter if you did, I’ll gladly tear you to pieces just like I did with your counterpart.”

The King gripped his nail tight, glaring back at the Radiance, the cause of all his troubles, the cause of everyone’s troubles. He glanced at the Father’s beaten figure, his heart breaking at the sight before glaring back at the Radiance.

“I will never forgive you for hurting my friend like that. I will never forgive you for hurting my people with your plague. I will never let you win! I did not force the moths to worship me, they decided that all on their own. They wanted to think for themselves and make their own choices and not blindly follow a goddess!”

“They were foolish! To think that they turned away from me when I was the one who gave them everything! They were supposed to serve me and me alone!”

The King sighed, growling a little in frustration. He had heard this argument from the Radiance before in his dreams. Before even thinking about the Hollow Knight plan, he had tried to come to a compromise with the Radiance. It hardly bore any fruit however, as her anger was too much for any point he made to go through. He supposed he should have expected it considering she was the one who nearly killed Grimm after the division of dreams and nightmares. Truly, this whole thing was just a bad time for everyone involved. The King flared out his wings and readied himself.

“Enough of this. We will never reach an agreement. It is time that we end things once and for all, Radiance.”

“For once, I will agree with you. It’s time I end you and your kingdom once and for all!”

As the two higher beings readied themselves, the children were also preparing themselves. Hallow looked back at Ghost as they got ready.

_“Ghost? Are you okay?”_

Ghost looked back at them, nodding as they tightened their grip on their nail.

_“Yeah. Let’s do this, Hallow. We’re gonna stop the bad light from hurting anyone anymore.”_

Leaf, Kin and Hornet got into their stances as well.

 _“It’s finally time,”_ Leaf said. _“Let’s go!”_

 _“We’ll save other father and everyone else!”_ Kin exclaimed.

“We’re da pwotectors of Hawwonest!” Hornet declared. “No bad wight is gonna beat us! We’re gonna fight and we’re not gonna stop until we save da world!”

The King smiled at his children’s declarations.

“Let us bring about an end to the Infection! For Hallownest, for my people, for those I hold dear, and for the one who gave me this chance! Begone, Old Light!”

With those words the King and his children sprang to action, nails swinging and spells flying.

The Radiance huffed, retaliating with nails and spells of her own.

“Hah! You think the likes of you can defeat me?! Think again!”

A wave of nails materialized on one side of the platform, flying over to the King and the children. The King quickly scooped up the children near him and flew up to avoid the nails while the other children he couldn’t reach jumped through the small gaps in between, just barely avoiding the blades. All the while the Father looked on from his prison, hoping that they would all be alright. The Radiance was strong, and while he had faith that his counterpart and their children would overcome her, he still worried about them getting hurt.

Ghost parried a nail that came flying at Hallow from behind.

_“Are you okay?!”_

_“Yeah! Thanks!”_

The two stood together with their backs against each other as they found themselves surrounded by a ring of nails that had materialized around them. They glanced at each other and nodded before knocking away the nails flying towards them, moving around in a circle to cover each other’s backs. A nail materialized above them and when Ghost looked up, it was already heading right for them.

_“Oh no--!”_

“Wook out!”

Hornet’s needle came flying out from nearby with Hornet, Leaf and Kin at the end of its silk. The needle knocked the nail out of its path and also helped to bring the siblings together to regroup.

 _“You guys okay?!”_ Leaf asked.

 _“Yeah, thanks for saving us!”_ Hallow said.

 _“They’re coming, everyone!”_ Kin warned.

The children readied their weapons and proceeded to parry the nails and dodging those they couldn’t. Every once in a while they would be able to fire a spell at the Radiance when they had an opening.

On the other hand, the King would have liked to help his children, but the Radiance had put herself between them and him and kept him away as far as he could.

“Don’t think you’ll be able to help those brats, Wyrm!”

The King grit his teeth. “My children are strong, Radiance. They will not be defeated so easily. I have faced them three times now, and they have strength that surpasses my own.”

“Hah! Maybe it’s just that you’re weak!” the Radiance shouted, hurling multiple balls of light at him. “All this time you have not been able to defeat me or my Infection. The only thing you were able to do was to just slow down the Infection! Once you and your counterpart are gone, I will rule over this world as the sole goddess. No nightmares or pale light will be worshipped!”

The King dodged most of them and sliced the last one in half with his nail. With them out of the way he flew towards the Radiance, letting out a flurry of slashes followed by spells of his own, which put the Radiance on the defensive.

“I am not weak, not physically at least. Mentally, I was weak. The burden you brought upon me and my kingdom wore me down to the point that I committed a crime a father should never commit against his children. I should not have even considered it and yet I did. I even proceeded with that crime and my children paid the price for it. However, I was given another chance by my counterpart, my dear friend, and he has given me the strength to overcome that weakness of mine! Together with the chance he gave me and my children, I am no longer the weak king I once was!”

He materialized his own set of nails and aimed them at the Radiance, causing her a good amount of damage.

“I will not allow you to harm my friend, my children or my people any longer.”

The Radiance growled and let out an angered cry, waving away the King’s soul nails.

“They are _my_ people! They belong to me and are meant to worship me alone! It was already demeaning having to share worshippers with Grimm, and Unn’s mosskin refused to turn from her. Then _you_ came along and stole all my worshippers even after I got rid of Grimm!”

“How many times must I tell you? I did not force them to turn away from you, they all chose to. They decided that they wanted to start thinking for themselves instead of having someone else do the thinking for them! If you cannot think, then you cannot choose! What meaning in life is there if you let someone decide your life for you?!”

The King’s words only proved to anger the Radiance further, and he let out a scream of pain as a pillar of blazing light appeared behind him and nearly burned his wings off. With his wings injured, the King started to plummet down to the arena.

_“Father!”_

Ghost had seen him falling from the sky and gathered their siblings together to catch him. They were crushed under his weight, but managed to cushion his fall.

“Of all the insolent--!”

The Radiance’s words were cut off when a spell was blasted right in her face. She screeched and fell to the floor, turning to the perpetrator. Ghost was standing in front of the King and their siblings, nail clutched tightly and the faint hints of of Soul dissipating from a spell around them.

_“Ghost!”_

“Ghost…”

Ghost glared at the Radiance, standing protectively in front of the King.

_“Don’t hurt father. I won’t let you hurt anyone anymore!”_

The floor shook and the King looked around, only to see black start encroaching on the golden arena.

“No...not black...that is…!”

The Vessels suddenly felt Ghost’s feelings flooding into them more intensely than normal, with their own feelings coming to the forefront of their minds. While they were part of a hivemind of sorts where they could feel their siblings emotions, they were still their own bug. This, however, felt like they were united even more than before.

And the appearance of the void sea only helped strengthen that feeling.

The King quickly got up and took Hornet into his arms, knowing that, unlike the Vessels, she was not born of void. He would be alright as he was a higher being and had handled the void before, but Hornet was not like him so he had to be careful with her. He turned to his other children and saw Hallow, Leaf and Kin standing behind Ghost, as if Ghost was the one leading the charge. Ghost raised their nail and pointed it at the Radiance, and, as if commanded, tendrils rose from the void sea and wrapped around the Radiance, holding her in place.

“Ahh! What is this?! What’s going on?!”

The Radiance struggled against the restraints before her eyes glowed brightly and she dissipated into Essence in order to escape. Platforms materialized in the sky, prompting them to ascend higher into the sky. Ghost was the one to jump up first, followed by their siblings. The King tentatively tested his wings before carefully taking flight, just in time to see the void sea rise along with them.

“What in the world is happening…?” he whispered, watching the void sea.

From his prison, the Father’s eyes widened at the situation.

“It is as if...the void has been united...but...how…?”

Above the arena, where multiple platforms had formed, the Radiance reappeared in all her furious light. Ghost glared up at her from their place on a platform before jumping up and swinging their nail.

_“Let the darkness consume the light!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyo! sorry for the delay, i couldnt really get this chapter to come out and i started playing pokemon sword and shield again so i got distracted x'D as for radiance's characterization and motivation, i know that there's a lot of interpretations of them and i hope the way she turned out here doesnt turn you off from the story or anything x'D i know people can get iffy about that stuff. i hope you continue to enjoy the story! we're almost at the end!


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -crawls out of my hole nervously- hello, everyone...! sorry for the wait x'D i really wanted this chapter to be like...really epic or at least give you a sense of epicness x'D this is the longest chapter i've ever written, i think, aside from that other one. i'm sure there's a lot to fix and there's probably too much i tried to pack in there. no beta readers we die like men!
> 
> well, without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

The Radiance screeched in rage, eyeing the void sea furiously.

“What is happening?! How has the void appeared in this dream?! The dream realm is _my_ domain!”

There was no way something like the void should be able to invade her domain, even in her weakened, forgotten state. Something has happened that she didn’t know about and she turned her anger to the Pale King, certain that he had something to do with it.

“What are you up to, Wyrm?!” she screeched, letting loose balls of light.

The King didn’t answer as he dodged her attack, deciding not to give her the satisfaction that he had nothing to do with the appearance of the void sea. Might as well go along with it after all, even if it seemed like a rather precarious situation.

“Stay with me, Hornet,” he told the little spider as he helped her settle in the middle of his horns. “You must not touch the void as it may have negative effects on you.”

“Okay.”

Hornet looked down at the void sea, a little unsure before turning to her siblings. Ghost glanced at her and nodded, hoping to reassure her and their father that the void would not harm them. They turned their attention back to the Radiance and readied themself.

_“Let’s do this, siblings!”_ they called out in the void language. _“We can do this with the united void!”_

Hallow, Leaf and Kin all cheered, raising their nails in the air.

_“We’ll end this once and for all!!!”_

The four Vessels lunged forth, right as the Radiance started to retaliate even harder than before. Beams and balls of light, nails that fell from the sky and flew from the sides, the fight had become much more desperate than before. With nothing but the platforms to fight on, the group’s movements were restricted. It didn’t seem to bother them, however, as they masterfully jumped from platform to platform, attacking the Radiance whenever they could. The King carefully flew around in the air, minding the injuries dealt to his wings by the Radiance. He had to be careful since the void sea was right below the platforms and he didn’t want Hornet to come into contact with it.

“Why you…!!”

The Radiance lashed out in her anger, aiming a beam of light at the King who was about to land on a platform and couldn’t stop his descent in time.

“Oh no--!”

“Daddy!!”

The King braced himself, grabbing Hornet from his horns and held her tight to his chest, turning around in order to protect her.

But the impact never came.

The King looked back in confusion only to see two void tendrils behind him, having protected him and Hornet from the attack. The tendrils moved towards them and the King tensed slightly but all they did was wave reassuringly and hover around them protectively, ready to protect the weakened king and non-void sibling.

“Oh...thank you,” the King said, surprised to see that the void was protective of them rather than hostile.

Seeing the void act like this...he could only think that something or someone had united the void. But what or who? And how?

The King shook his head, and looked to where the Father was. He glances back at his children fighting the Radiance. Ghost, who had seen the King and Hornet in that perilous situation, caught his gaze and nodded. They would take care of the Radiance while the King would go rescue the Father. The King nodded back and placed Hornet back in the middle of his horns, carefully making his way to the Father’s prison.

The Father lifted his head, hearing the King approach.

“You came…”

“Of course,” the King replied, working on freeing him. “You have yet to show me how you take care of the children.”

The Father let out a weak laugh. “To think...you are only...freeing me for that…”

The King gave him a wry smile. “But of course. Were you not the one who said that you were going to teach me to be a father?”

“Haha...true…ah!”

“Whoa there!”

The King had cut the last chain binding the Father and caught him before he fell. The King took in his friend’s weakened state, frowning.

“How terrible...you’re lucky this happened in the dream realm. If it had been reality…”

“...Yes…”

Had it been reality, they were certain that the Father would never be able to rule his kingdom or even fly again. Still, this was not reality and they were both grateful that it wasn’t. A whimper came from the King’s horns and the Father looked up to see Hornet reaching out to him, her arms poking through between the horns.

“O-Other daddy…!”

The Father gave her a tired smile, and took one of her hands in his. “Do not worry, Hornet. I will be fine.”

The King took one of the Father’s arms and wrapped it around his shoulders, supporting him as they looked over at the fight.

“The way the void is acting…” the Father started.

“Yes…” the King said, nodding. “Something big is about to happen.”

Ghost glanced away from the fight for a moment and saw that the Father had been freed from his prison. Relief filled them before they turned their attention back to the Radiance and rejoined their siblings in their attack on her. The Radiance was teleporting around the platforms, using the different positions to try and keep an advantage over them. With the Radiance moving around, it was a bit difficult to get into a good position to attack her, but the siblings managed to get in some attacks even if they didn’t come out of them unscathed. Leaf had missed the platform they were aiming for and promptly got hit by a ball of light before being saved by Hallow. Kin had found themself trapped by the Radiance’s soul nails because they weren’t able to dodge in time. Hallow had rushed in to attack the Radiance before she could make another move, but was blindsided by a beam of light. Ghost had jumped to another platform to avoid the soul nails but had overshot their jump and promptly got cut up by the nails.

_“Ugh...those balls of light always follow us everywhere!”_ Leaf complained.

_“Still, we’re getting better at avoiding them with these platforms,”_ Kin said, finishing up healing their wounds.

_“We’ve been hitting her a lot...I hope this will end soon…”_ Hallow said, looking up at the Radiance.

Ghost looked up at the Radiance, who had started to look a little worn out.

_“Don’t worry, I know this will end soon, Hallow. We’re almost there, I can feel it!”_

With every strike of their nail, they could feel it.

_“Take this!”_ Leaf yelled, slashing at the Radiance.

With every spell, they could feel it.

_“We won’t let you win!”_ Kin declared, firing a spell at her.

With every pulse of the Void Heart, they could feel it.

_“For Hallownest...for father and other father!”_ Hollow cried, diving down onto the Radiance with their nail.

They could feel the long struggle between two gods coming to an end.

Ghost jumped up in front of the Radiance, staring her straight in the eyes. Void black eyes into blazing bright eyes.

This goddess was the source of all the trouble in Hallownest. This goddess is the reason why their father has been working so hard. This goddess was the reason why their father made such a questionable decision. This goddess was the reason why Ghost and their siblings were born. This goddess was the reason why so many have been hurt.

The battle with this goddess was the reason why...

They could feel their happiness and bright future were in their reach.

_“For our future and happiness!”_ Ghost exclaimed, landing a hard strike on the Radiance.

The Radiance let out another furious screech and disappeared, leaving a trail of Essence behind. As she disappeared, more platforms heading upward appeared and everyone started to ascend higher and higher. They dodged beams of light that came from above and kept climbing, the void sea rising along with them. Higher, higher and even higher still, until they finally came to the highest the platforms went.

“I will _not_ lose!” the Radiance cried. “I will come out victorious! My light will shine over all of Hallownest, and everyone will see me as the only goddess they need!”

“That will not happen,” the King said. “This is where you light will die out, Radiance.”

“Your light will no longer burn the people’s minds,” the Father said. “Your light will no longer hurt anyone anymore.”

The Vessels continued their attack on the Radiance, putting everything into every swing of their nails and every blast of their spells. Beneath them, the void sea churned and twisted.

Ghost could hear a voice whisper to them.

_“Just one more hit...just one more…”_

Ghost jumped up and swung their nail.

_“Begone, Old Light!”_

The moment their nail made contact with the Radiance, Ghost’s mask cracked and broke in two, their Shade falling into the void sea.

The King, Father and Hornet cried out in horror, but Hallow, Leaf and Kin only looked on before they themselves joined the void sea by jumping into it.

The void sea continued to churn and twist, darkness taking over until suddenly a giant being started to emerge from the sea. Eight glowing eyes pierced the darkness and void tendrils took hold of the Radiance while a giant claw pulled open the space where her eyes were. Another claw emerged and started slashing relentlessly at the Radiance, whose screams shook the dream realm itself and perhaps even the real world.

The onslaught continued, never ceasing until suddenly, a flash of Essence and then…

Darkness.


End file.
